18 Austin Hedges C

Hedges is not starting Saturday against Arizona.

Hedges has gone just 2-for-20 over his last seven games. A.J. Ellis will start behind the plate Saturday.

Hedges is not in the lineup Monday against the Giants, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Hedges will stick on the bench for a second straight game as rookie Francisco Mejia picks up another start behind the dish. Mejia has now started four of the last five games at catcher, a trend that could continue over the final week of the season as the Padres look to give the younger Mejia ample opportunities.

Hedges is not in the lineup against the Giants on Wednesday.

Hedges will receive a breather after starting the past two games. In his place, Francisco Mejia will catch Robbie Erlin and bat second.

Hedges went 1-for-4 with his 14th home run of the season in Monday's 4-2 loss to San Francisco.

Hedges returned to the starting lineup after giving way to Francisco Mejia on Sunday. Both backstops have homered three times a piece while alternating starts in September. The competition has elevated their play and made both catchers worthy of fantasy consideration even in a timeshare.

Hedges is not in the lineup Sunday against the Rangers.

Hedges and top catching prospect Francisco Mejia have been sharing catching duties pretty evenly over the past couple weeks, and Sunday will be a game Hedges will watch from the bench. Hedges has been hot as of late, producing a .987 OPS over the past 14 games.