MLB Player News

McCann (hand) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday.

There was some hope that McCann could return Tuesday, but apparently the Tigers feel it's necessary he shake the rust with a few games in the minors before slotting back into the major-league lineup. McCann has been out since May 25 with a left hand laceration. He's batting .286/.375/.786 on the year against left-handed pitching, but just .175/.261/.300 against righties.

Grandal is out of the lineup Monday against the Nationals, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

He has caught the last three games and is hitting .179 with a 42.9 percent strikeout rate over his last seven games. Grandal is very streaky, but his overall performance is typically excellent by catcher standards. Austin Barnes will start behind the dish and hit sixth in his place.

Rupp is not in the lineup Monday against the Braves.

After collecting just three hits over his past 14 games, Rupp will head to the bench for the second time in three days. Andrew Knapp will assume catching duties for the evening.

Murphy (forearm) caught back-to-back games for Triple-A Albuquerque over the weekend, Nick Groke of The Denver Post reports.

This is a big step for the catching prospect, as it seems like he's nearly ready for full action with the big-league club. Murphy is scheduled to appear in another rehab game with the Isotopes on Tuesday, and if all goes well, it wouldn't be surprising to see him return to the Rockies by the end of the week.

Contreras is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

The recent timeshare between Contreras and Miguel Montero continues to take shape as the youngster will head to the bench again in favor of the veteran backstop Montero. Until Contreras becomes more productive at the plate, expect this timeshare to remain as the season trudges on.

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

With a .270 average, four homers and 15 RBI in 152 at-bats this season, Maldonado isn't lighting the world on fire, but he's quietly become a reliable option in deeper two-catcher and AL-only leagues. He'll be guaranteed the bulk of the starts behind the dish for the Angels, though manager Mike Scioscia will give Maldonado a day off in the series finale. Juan Graterol replaces Maldonado behind the plate.

Perez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Indians, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

With Perez batting just 4-for-31 (.129 average) while starting each of the last eight games, manager Ned Yost decided it was an opportune time to rest the oft-used backstop. Backup Drew Butera will fill in for Perez behind the plate.

Gomes is out of the lineup Sunday against the Royals, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

Gomes will receive a routine day off after starting at catcher in the first two games of the series, going 2-for-7 with a double in those contests. Roberto Perez will spell him behind the dish.

Vazquez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Orioles, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez has been the Red Sox's top-performing catcher this season, but he's still locked into a timeshare with Sandy Leon, who receives the nod behind the plate Sunday. It's unclear what more Vazquez needs to do in order to capture a larger portion of the starts behind the plate, as he's a capable defender and his .373 on-base percentage is nearly 100 points better than Leon's.

Realmuto is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

It appears that Realmuto is simply getting a scheduled day of rest against Braden Shipley and the Diamondbacks. The 26-year-old has been solid at the plate again this year, slashing .295/.365/.428 over the first two months of the season. He also added his second stolen base of the season Saturday. A.J. Ellis will draw the start behind the plate.