MLB Player News

Grandal is out of the lineup against the Braves on Thursday.

Grandal receives a day off after two straight starts behind the plate, going 1-for-8 with five strikeouts during those games. In his place, Austin Barnes draws the assignment of catching Alex Wood, while batting sixth.

Mesoraco (knee) will miss his fourth straight game during Thursday's contest with the Pirates.

Mesoraco hasn't been a part of the starting lineup since Saturday when he exited the game against Miami due to knee injury. There hasn't been much word concerning Mesoraco's timetable, so he should be considered day-to-day moving forward. Tucker Barnhart will continue to draw the starts at catcher in his stead.

D'Arnaud is not in Thursday's lineup against the Rockies.

D'Arnaud gets a day off after catching the previous four games, going 6-for-16 with one RBI during that span. In his place, Rene Rivera sets up behind the plate, batting eighth.

Leon (knee) is available off the bench Wednesday, and is on the verge of returning to the lineup to spell Christian Vazquez within the next couple days, Jason Mastrodonato of The Boston Herald reports.

Leon hasn't played since Saturday while recovering from a swollen right knee. Although Vazquez typically nabs most of the starts, Leon has been in the lineup more recently since the All-Star break. The 28-year-old will likely be back behind the plate before the weekend begins.

Gomes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's series finale against Boston.

Gomes will receive a standard day off after starting the past two games of this series, going 0-for-5 with two runs scored. In his place, Roberto Perez draws the start behind the plate.

Mesoraco (knee) is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Pirates.

Although his removal from Saturday's contest was considered precautionary, Mesoraco will now have missed three straight games due to the issue. Tucker Barnhart will assume catching duties in his stead.

Contreras is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.

Contreras started the past five contests, so he'll hit the bench for a night off despite collecting tow hits and two RBI Tuesday night. Alex Avila will pick up his first start in Chicago to replace him behind the plate.

Narvaez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the Blue Jays.

Narvaez retreats to the bench after going 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI during Tuesday's loss. In his place, Kevan Smith sets up behind the plate for the third time in the past four days, while batting in the cleanup position.

Vazquez went 3-for-5 with a double, three runs scored and a walk-off three-run home run in Tuesday's wild 12-10 win over Cleveland.

The homer was just his second of the year but he made it count, taking Cody Allen deep to straightaway center field on a 3-1 fastball after Mitch Moreland struck out for what should have been the final out of the game but reached on a wild pitch. Vazquez now has four straight multi-hit games, and with Sandy Leon nursing a sore knee the 26-year-old catcher should remain a fixture in the Boston lineup in the short term.

Hedges went 2-for-3 with a double and a two-run homer against the Twins on Tuesday.

After going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts upon his return from a DL stint due to a concussion Sunday, Hedges found his batting stroke in the Padres' very next game. His 14 homers and 43 RBI are relatively credible stats from the catcher position, but Hedges' .220 average is a major drag. However, we're talking about a 24-year-old who hit .326 with 21 homers and 82 RBI in 82 games at the Triple-A level last year -- numbers suggestive of high-end upside that he could yet realize in coming seasons.