MLB Player News

Realmuto is out of the lineup Saturday against the Phillies.

He has started six games in a row, so Realmuto was due for a day off. Jeff Mathis will start at catcher and hit eighth Saturday.

Maldonado is out of the starting lineup for Saturday's tilt with the Reds, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Maldonado got the start behind the plate for the Brewers on Friday night, as they opted to give Jonathan Lucroy the night off. He went 0-for-1 on the night, but reached base three times (two walks and a hit-by-pitch).

Mesoraco (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day DL on Saturday.

Mesoraco will undergo shoulder surgery next week to repair a torn labrum and it's possible he could miss the remainder of the season. With the recovery process expected to span roughly four months, at the minimum, the Reds will shift Mesoraco to the 60-day DL to free up a 40-man roster spot.

Rupp entered Friday leading all hitters with the highest average exit velocity (97.5 mph) on batted balls in play this season, Glenn Sattell of MLB.com reports.

Giancarlo Stanton led the league with a 98.5-mph average last season, putting Rupp in good company. Exit velocity alone does not mean Rupp is in Stanton's stratosphere as a player, but it is a positive attribute in his skill set. Other factors, such as launch angle, play an important role in batted-ball outcomes. According to Rob Arthur of FiveThirtyEight, the best hitters have exit velocities above 90 mph and launch angles around 25 degrees. Rupp is averaging around 10 degrees with his launch angle this season.

Plawecki will play a reserve role in Friday's matchup with the Padres.

Plawecki, who has been handling catching duties behind the plate while Travis d'Arnaud is on the DL, will sit out Friday's series opener in San Diego. He will be replaced by Rene Rivera in the lineup. The Mets will be facing a right-hander, so this move is not all that surprising. Look for Plawecki to return to his catching role Saturday.

Mesoraco (shoulder) will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder and could miss the rest of the season.

This does not bode well for Mesoraco, as was told that the recovery process for this surgery takes at least four months, meaning that his season could be over depending on how long his recovery takes. That being said, there's a small chance that he could return in mid- to late-September if he recovers very quickly, but the Reds will probably err on the side of caution so that he can be healthy for 2017 rather than rush him back to action and cause further damage. This is really unfortunate for the 27-year-old and the Reds, but they'll have to keep chugging along using Tucker Barnhart as their primary catcher.

Stewart has started five of Pittsburgh's first 28 games, hitting .208 in 24 at-bats.

The catcher hit .289 and .294, respectively, in limited play for the Pirates his first two seasons, so there's reason to hope for improvement. Staff ace Gerrit Cole threw his best start with Stewart behind the plate and the two have a strong history working together -- that could mean he makes occasional starts as the team tries to find Cole's groove.

D'Arnaud (shoulder) began hitting Thursday but hasn't resumed throwing yet, Maria Guardado of the Star-Ledger reports.

This is good to see some progress in his rehab process, but until d'Arnaud begins throwing again, it'll be quite some time before he can return to the Mets lineup. A timetable for his return should become clearer once he can begin a throwing program.

Making a second straight start out of the leadoff spot, Realmuto went 3-for-4 with one run scored in Wednesday's win over the Diamondbacks.

The Marlins' are apparently willing to look just about anywhere to replace Dee Gordon's presence atop the lineup while the speedy second baseman is suspended and Realmuto has earned the chance to prove himself in back-to-back starts. The catcher is working a strong .329/.341/.482 slash line following Wednesday's three-hit effort and is back at the top of the order for Thursday's series finale.

Murphy (oblique) is playing games at extended spring training and could rejoin the Triple-A squad soon, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Murphy hasn't been able to appear in a game yet with Triple-A Albuquerque due to the oblique strain, but it appears that he's progressed very well through the rehab process. Unfortunately, he may be locked in the minors for the time being despite his upper-prospect status due to the success of major league backup catcher Tony Wolters.