MLB Player News

McCann's (hand) rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo is only expected to last "a couple of days," Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

McCann would have been ready to come off the disabled list Tuesday, but since the Tigers aren't expected to face a left-handed starting pitcher until their weekend series with the Red Sox, the backstop's services wouldn't have been needed. He'll instead get a couple games in with Toledo before being activated, at which point he'll settle into the smaller portion of a platoon at catcher with Alex Avila.

Stewart (hamstring) resumed baseball activities Tuesday, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Stewart has been sidelined since the end of May, but it seems like he's finally progressed in his rehab, meaning that a rehab assignment may come in the next week or so barring any setbacks. Until he's ready for full action again, Elias Diaz will act as the backup catcher behind Francisco Cervelli.

Collins, 22, is hitting .230/.392/.455 with eight home runs and 26 RBI through 50 games for High-A Winston-Salem.

The batting average is not ideal, but Collins has shown superb patience at the dish, drawing 43 walks thus far in 2017. In addition, he has cracked eight home runs with his left-handed bat, flashing his 20-homer potential. With improvements in the field as well, Collins remains one of the better prospects for the White Sox.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Cardinals, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Mesoraco will get his second night off in three days as the Reds continue to give him ample rest time in order to keep him healthy. Tucker Barnhart will assume catching duties in his stead.

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.