MLB Player News

Grandal is out of Friday's lineup against the Cubs.

The newly-acquired Carlos Ruiz will start behind the plate as Grandal sits out. Grandal owns a batting average of just .231 for the season and is just 9-for-45 over the last 14 days, so it's highly likely that he'll see much less time in the lineup moving forward, now that Ruiz is a Dodger.

McCann went 4-for-5 with a three-run homer in Thursday's win over the Twins.

McCann's third-inning blast, his 11th of the season, extended his hitting streak to four games, one shy of his season high. The catcher had tallied just five home runs and 23 RBI in 173 first-half at bats, but now has six longballs and 19 RBI in 82 at-bats since the All-Star break. McCann's .256 second-half batting average is also a strong improvement over the .208 he posted prior to the Midsummer Classic.

Maldonado is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Pirates.

Maldonado will get a night off after starting three straight games behind the plate. Manny Pina will get the start at catcher in Maldonado's place.

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN.com.

As has been the case every few days of late, d'Arnaud will open the game on the bench and Rene Rivera will get the start behind the plate. D'Arnaud went 0-for-3 Wednesday, but he has seen the ball well of late, going 11-for-29 (.379) in eight games since Aug. 12.

Leon is not in the lineup Thursday against the Rays, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

After starting the last four games behind the plate, Leon will give way to Bryan Holaday on Thursday. Holaday will bat ninth in the order against Jake Odorizzi.

Sanchez went 2-for-3 with two walks and a solo shot in Wednesday's win over the Mariners.

The rookie continued his ridiculous August by smacking his ninth homer and notching his 16th RBI of the month. Now the Bombers everyday catcher, Sanchez is hitting a scorching .389 through 72 at-bats over 19 games. Producing at this pace long-term is obviously unsustainable, but there's nothing wrong with riding the catcher while he's hot.

McCann is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Twins, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

McCann is riding a very modest three-game hitting streak, but he's still hitting just .212 on the season and will continue receiving fairly regular days off. Jarrod Saltalamacchia will take over behind the plate Wednesday and bat eighth.

Barnhart is not in the lineup for Wednesday's matchup against the Rangers.

Barnhart had a solid showing Tuesday night, going 1-for-3 with a double and a RBI. He has started Cincinnati's last three games, so they'll give him the night off and put Ramon Cabrera behind the plate.

Stewart's knee has been responding well so far in his rehab assignment and he will continue to play nine innings every other day with Double-A Altoona, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Bill Brink reports.

He began the rehab assignment on Aug. 12, and likely won't rejoin the Pirates until rosters expand in September, at which point he might get one start per week for the big league club. Stewart is 2-for-14 with five walks in six games with Altoona.

Thole went 0-for-3 with an RBI, his seventh of the season, in Tuesday's win over the Angels.

Making his routine spot start behind the plate with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey on the hill, Thole's third straight hitless effort lowered his batting average to a measly .151 on the season. The left-hand hitting catcher's splits have been equally as disappointing, as Thole's hitting .156 in 32 at-bats against southpaws, and .149 in 74 at-bats versus righties.