MLB Player News

Maldonado went 3-for-4 with a double and a pair of two-run home runs to account for all the Angels' offense in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Yankees.

He's now got seven homers on the year, one short of his career high, and Maldonado's current .764 OPS would also be a new personal best. The 30-year-old catcher has never played more than 79 games in a season before, however, so don't be surprised if he wears down in the second half after having already seen action in 62 games before the end of June.

Grandal smashed a pair of solo homers in four at-bats against the Mets on Wednesday.

The powerful backstop's turned his slugging back on, as he has three homers in the last two games. If he's kicking around on your waiver wire, jump on the train and ride this hot streak.

Perez went 3-for-3 with a grand slam during Wednesday's win over Boston.

Perez's 15th blast of the season put Kansas City ahead for good and sealed Wednesday's victory. The backstop sports an impressive .292/.324/.533 slash line and is on track to post a career year. Additionally, he entered Wednesday's game leading all catchers in plate appearances (253), so Perez's fantasy floor is higher than most of his peers.

Stewart is in the lineup for Wednesday's game, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

After spending three weeks on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring, Stewart will be making his first start since late May when the Pirates face off with Milwaukee on Wednesday. The catcher will bat eighth in his return.

Gomes is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Orioles.

Gomes will get a breather after he was behind the dish for the first two games of the series. Roberto Perez will handle catching duties, working as the battery mate for right-hander Carlos Carrasco.

Hedges (thigh) is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Cubs, Bob Scanlan of Fox Sports San Diego reports.

Hedges was expected to return to action Wednesday, but with Thursday being an off-day for the Padres, they'll keep him on the bench to effectively get two more days of rest. Luis Torrens will assume catching duties for the evening in his stead, but look for Hedges to get back in the lineup Friday when the team hosts the Tigers.

Realmuto is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Realmuto will head to the bench for what looks like a routine rest day, with an early-afternoon game on tap following a night game. A.J. Ellis will step in behind the plate. The 26-year-old Realmuto has hit safely in nine of his last 11 games and sits with an even .800 OPS for the season.

Grandal went 3-for-5 with his seventh homer and a pair of runs against the Mets on Tuesday.

He got his piece of a 12-0 rout, highlighted by that fifth-inning homer -- Grandal's first long ball since June 2. In his 12 games between then and Tuesday, Grandal went just 8-for-48 (.167) with 17 strikeouts, so this game was a welcome departure from his recent returns. Of course, he's always been a streaky hitter; perhaps this is the kickoff of a hot stretch.

Barnhart went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Tuesday's 6-5 loss to the Rays.

He's started three straight games and five of the last eight, as Devin Mesoraco's struggles at the plate have opened the door for Barnhart to reclaim some of his lost playing time. The 26-year-old is hitting .316 (6-for-19) with three doubles over that stretch and certainly isn't hurting his chances of seeing steady at-bats going forward, but his value will likely remain tied to what Mesoraco does or doesn't do rather than Barnhart's own performance.

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Dodgers.

Despite collecting hits in each of the last three games, d'Arnaud will head to the bench for a breather as Rene Rivera draws the start behind the dish. The 28-year-old is slashing .224/.295/.448 with seven homers in 139 plate appearances (42 games) this season.