MLB Player News

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs Sunday against the Nationals.

Contreras took rookie Erick Fedde deep in the fourth and sixth innings, and now has five home runs in the past four games. The 25-year-old catcher has cemented his spot in the heart of Chicago's order, as Contreras' recent power surge has raised his line to an impressive .281/.349/.532.

Realmuto went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during Sunday's win over Atlanta.

Now up to a .306/.366/.489 slash line with 13 homers, 45 RBI, five stolen bases and 50 runs, Realmuto is providing high-end numbers from the catcher position. Additionally, his hefty workload behind the plate makes him all the more valuable and helps both his fantasy floor and ceiling.

Grandal (back) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Grandal was removed from Saturday's game with back spasms and will be held out Sunday in order to give the veteran backstop ample time to rest. The Dodgers have a scheduled off-day Monday before opening up a three-game set with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Grandal will remain day-to-day while Austin Barnes will fill in behind the plate in his stead, batting sixth.

Maldonado is out of the lineup Sunday against the Athletics, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Maldonado will receive a routine maintenance day in the series finale, opening up a start behind the plate for Juan Graterol. The backstop hasn't been helping out fantasy owners of late while going 3-for-27 (.111 average) over his last 10 games, but he's at little risk of falling into a timeshare with Graterol.

The Mariners designated Gosewisch for assignment Sunday.

After acquiring reliever Ryan Garton from the Rays in a trade Sunday, the Mariners didn't have room on the roster for Gosewisch, a 33-year-old catcher who didn't project as a regular option at the position. Gosewisch, a career .190 hitter over parts of four seasons in the big leagues with the Diamondbacks and Mariners, will look to latch on with another organization to serve as catching depth in the upper minors.

Vazquez is out of the lineup Sunday against the White Sox, Evan Drellich of CSN New England reports.

It's a well-deserved day off for Vazquez, who had been forced to start the previous seven games behind the plate while Sandy Leon rested with an inflamed knee. The increased workload didn't seem to hinder Vazquez offensively, as the backstop went 13-for-27 with five extra-base hits during the string of starts. Manager John Farrell will likely dole out the starts behind the plate more equitably now that he has two healthy catchers on hand, but the timeshare should slightly favor Vazquez due to his superior production this season.

Leon (knee) will start at catcher and bat ninth Sunday against the White Sox, Evan Drellich of CSN New England reports.

Leon hadn't played in any of the Red Sox's previous seven contests while he continued to nurse an inflamed right knee, an injury he first picked up while scoring the game-winning run in a game against the Royals last weekend. While Leon didn't require a trip to the disabled list, his absence prompted the Red Sox to lean on Christian Vazquez heavily behind the plate. Vazquez will get a much-deserved day off Sunday with Leon healthy enough to catch again.

McCann is out of the lineup Sunday against the Orioles.

It's a well-deserved day off for McCann, who had logged catching duties for each of the previous seven games, going 10-for-28 (.357 average) with a home run and four RBI in those contests. The backstop has been on fire since the All-Star break and will continue to hold down a full-time role for the Tigers the rest of the way following the trade of Alex Avila to the Cubs, making McCann an attractive pickup in leagues that start two catchers, if not formats shallower than that. John Hicks will spell McCann in the series finale.

Sanchez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Indians, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez had served as the Yankees' designated hitter in two of the last three games, but manager Joe Girardi had previously mentioned that he was planning on having the All-Star resume duties behind the plate in the series finale. Instead, Sanchez will be held out for just the second time in the Yankees' last 12 games, though the team hasn't indicated that his unexpected absence is due to any sort of injury. Austin Romine will handle the catching duties Sunday.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup Sunday against the Cardinals, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

The embattled catcher returned to action Saturday with a two-strikeout showing, but in an effort to keep him healthy for the remainder of the year, he'll head to the bench for a day off. Tucker Barnhart will slot behind the dish to give Mesoraco a breather Sunday.