MLB Player News

Stewart will start at catcher Thursday afternoon in Boston.

The 34-year-old has played in just one game, going 1-for-3 against Atlanta on April 9. Stewart is looking to stay healthy in 2017 after appearing in only 34 games last season. Starter Francisco Cervelli will get the day off at Fenway.

Contreras is batting fifth in the Cubs' lineup Thursday against the Dodgers.

The catcher gets a lineup bump facing Los Angeles left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu. Contreras also gains a bit of value in daily fantasy games with the likelihood of an extra plate appearance. He already should occupy any season-long fantasy lineups when he's active.

Barnhart went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and two runs against the Pirates on Wednesday.

Barnhart has delivered credible production as the Reds' primary catcher with Devin Mesoraco on the DL; it hasn't been impressive for fantasy purposes, but the Reds surely appreciate it.

Sanchez (concussion) is on track to return from the 7-day disabled list over the weekend, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Sanchez was able to catch a bullpen session Wednesday without incident, so unless his concussion-like symptoms resurface in the coming days, it appears he'll be activated at some point during the Padres' four-game series with the Braves, which begins Friday. He'll serve as the primary backup to Austin Hedges upon returning to action.

Hedges went 0-for-4 in Tuesday's loss to the Rockies. He remains hitless in 27 plate appearances.

The 24-year-old is starting to look more like a hitter who owns a .144 career batting average as opposed to the player who slashed .326/.353/.597 in Triple-A last season. With Hector Sanchez (concussion) on the disabled list, there are no immediate threats to Hedges' playing time, but fantasy owners could surely find a catcher on the waiver wire who has at least recorded a hit this season.

D'Arnaud went 3-for-4 with a double, a homer, a walk and three RBI in Tuesday's 14-4 rout of the Phillies.

After a big spring, d'Arnaud opened the season slowly, going just 2-for-14 heading into Tuesday. However, there were positive signs here even before this effort, as he'd struck out just a single time. While d'Arnaud is coming off a bad, injury-shortened campaign, he's still a talented hitter who's put in a lot of work to find his stroke again. Don't dismiss him in deeper formats.

Manager Bryan Price said he anticipates Mesoraco (hip) to return sometime around April 17-20, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Mesoraco was scheduled to catch a full game at Double-A Pensacola on Monday, and apparently it went off without a hitch. The Reds have been extremely methodical about the 28-year-old's return while working to build up his durability, though it appears he is close to a return after playing in just 39 games over the past two years.

Grandal reached base three times Monday, going 2-for-3 with a walk in a loss to the Cubs.

Manager Dave Roberts has stuck to his word and has been using Grandal in a more traditional role, giving him regular rest on day games following night games as opposed to a strict platoon where he sits against lefties. Monday's start came against the Cubs southpaw Jon Lester, and the switch-hitting catcher came through with a solid offensive line. Grandal is batting just .200 (4-for-20) early on, but with two home runs and three walks through six games, he is doing a great job of replicating his breakout 2016 season.

Murphy (forearm) recently underwent a CT scan, but the Rockies haven't disclosed the results, Nick Groke of The Denver Post reports.

Murphy was forced to open the season on the 10-day disabled list after he fractured his right hand when it made contact with the bat of the Cubs' Kris Bryant in a March 11 Cactus League game. The 26-year-old is still using a brace to protect the hand, but he could be cleared to remove it in the coming days if the scan revealed that he's healing as expected. Once the brace is off, Murphy would still likely require multiple weeks to test out the hand in fielding and throwing drills, batting practice and rehab games before the Rockies would consider activating him from the 10-day disabled list.

Realmuto won the NL Player of the Week Award after slashing .500/.542/.909 with two home runs, six RBI and six runs scored through five games, Tim Healey of the Sun-Sentinel reports.

The 26-year-old has all the tools to be an elite catcher both in real life and for fantasy purposes, and at least through the first week of the season Realmuto is delivering. Perhaps the most impressive thing about his hot start has been his plate discipline. After striking out 100 times against only 28 walks in 2016, he has a 2:1 BB:K through his first 24 plate appearances of 2017.