MLB Player News

Contreras is not in the lineup Friday against the Marlins.

Despite clubbing two homers in his last four games, Contreras will head to the bench as Miguel Montero takes over behind the dish. The 25-year-old, who is slashing .249/.311/.423 in 64 games (222 plate appearances) this season, should be back in the lineup for Saturday's matinee contest.

Narvaez is not in the lineup for Friday's game against Oakland.

Narvaez will get the day off for the fourth time in the last five days as Kevan Smith sets up behind the plate for the series opener. Smith put together a 3-for-5 day with one RBI on Thursday, which marked the third time in his last five appearances that he's collected multiple hits. As long as Smith continues to hit like this, there won't be much playing time left over for Narvaez.

Moore was placed on the 7-day disabled list Friday for Triple-A Columbus with a right quad injury.

The injury may explain Moore's recent skid at the plate following his solid start to the season. The 33-year-old is hitting just .114/.205/.200 over his last 11 games after batting .295 with nine RBI in May. It's unclear as to the severity of the ailment at this point, but anything extensive would certainly put a damper on an otherwise productive year.

D'Arnaud went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Dodgers.

The blast, d'Arnaud's eighth of the year, snapped a 10-game homerless drought for the backstop. His .226/.293/.459 slash line in 44 games is underwhelming, but at least the 28-year-old is on pace to top his previous career high of 13 home runs.

Diaz is expected to split time with Chris Stewart while starter Francisco Cervelli (concussion) remains sidelined. "I don't think it's important to designate a starter," manager Clint Hurdle told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "Both guys are going to catch and be used appropriately."

It wouldn't be surprising to see Diaz get the bulk of starts over Stewart, though it sounds as if Hurdle has a plan mapped out. Diaz went hitless in four at-bats Thursday, lowering his batting average to .276.

Grandal is not in the lineup Thursday against the Mets, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Despite knocking three homers over the last two games, Grandal will head to the bench for Thursday's series finale. Austin Barnes will take over behind the dish for him, while Grandal should be back in action Friday against the Rockies.

McCann went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Mariners.

With tough lefty James Paxton on the hill for Seattle, McCann got the start over Alex Avila behind the dish. McCann is hitting an atrocious .182 this season, but he offers good power potential when he's in the lineup, evidenced by his eight home runs in 132 at-bats.

Jackson has gone 0-for-9 with a walk and a pair of strikeouts in three games since returning from the 7-day DL.

While he's hitless in his first three games back following a month-long absence due to injury, Jackson is still slashing .284/.348/.543 on the season. He has 10 home runs in 178 at-bats (fifth most in the Florida State League), which is just one fewer than he managed in 381 at-bats at Low-A in the Mariners' organization last year. Now that Jackson's catching (as opposed to playing the corner outfield) and beginning to find himself at the plate, the former No. 6 overall pick's stock in dynasty leagues is trending back up.

Diaz will start behind the plate and bat fifth Thursday in Milwaukee.

With Francisco Cervelli back on the DL with concussion-like symptoms, Diaz figures to see an increase in playing time. The catcher is hitting .302 in 53 at-bats. Although that number figures to drop in a larger sample size, Diaz has shown that he can hit around .280 or so in the upper minor-league levels.

Stallings was called back up to the big-league roster Thursday, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

It wasn't a long minor-league stint for the catcher, who was just optioned to Triple-A on Sunday. He'll be replacing starter Francisco Cervelli on the roster, as Cervelli was placed on the 7-day disabled list with a concussion. Stallings, who is 2-for-7 with the Pirates this year, will be behind Elias Diaz and Chris Stewart at catcher and isn't expected to receive many at-bats.