MLB Player News

Hedges was assigned to Triple-A El Paso on Saturday.

Christian Bethancourt has earned the backup catching job as spring training comes to a close, so Hedges, who hit well during Cactus League play, will open the year at Triple-A, where he spent roughly half of last season.

Mesoraco was scratched from Saturday's exhibition game with general stiffness.

The Reds suggested that he would have played if it was a game that counted. Tucker Barnhart started behind the plate in his place.

Grandal (forearm) has been scratched from Saturday's game against the Angels and will instead play in a minor league game, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles New Group reports.

Manager Dave Roberts said of Grandal, "He felt OK coming out of [Friday]. Not great." The skipper later admitted that the "window is closing" for Grandal to make the Opening Day roster. By keeping him on the minor league side, the team will have the option to backdate a DL stint at the start of the season.

Monell was reassigned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

Monell didn't stand much of a chance to make the 25-man roster, as he sat behind Kevin Plawecki and Nevin Ashley to be the backup to Travis d'Arnaud. He'll head back to the minors to act as organizational depth.

Grandal (forearm) will catch in Saturday's game against the Angels after being able to play in a minor league game Thursday, David Vassegh of AM 570 reports.

Grandal took a huge step in the right direction Thursday, blasting a home run and throwing out a baserunner in a minor league game. He's set to catch in the Dodgers' matchup with the Angels over the weekend and if he's able to make it through that game, he should be on pace to be on the Opening Day roster rather than the disabled list. This is a significant turnaround for Grandal given that there were reports as recent as last weekend suggesting that he could be starting the season on the DL.

Gosewisch was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Gewis had a putrid spring at the plate, batting below the Mendoza line, so the Diamondbacks will go with Chris Herrmann as their backup catcher to start the season. That being said, Gosewisch could find his way back to Arizona if he hits better in the minors.

Plawecki will likely make the Opening Day roster, Mark Carig of Newsday reports.

There were some doubts that Plawecki could be left off the act roster, but more recent reports seem to be ending that rumor. He'll likely slot back in as Travis d'Arnaud's backup for another season.

Diaz (elbow) will begin the season on the disabled list, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Diaz hadn't been expected to earn an Opening Day roster spot, as he'll instead open the season at Triple-A once healthy.

Barnhart went 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout against the Brewers in Tuesday's exhibition game.

Barnhart is hoping to be a bigger part of the Cincinnati offense this season after only playing in five games last year. He appears to be the team's primary backup catcher behind Devin Mesoraco going into Opening Day. Through 17 exhibition games, Barnhart is batting .243/.349/.432.

Manager Dave Roberts said that Grandal (forearm) may play in a minor league game Thursday, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

This is a nice development, as he's been out of game action for a bit over a week. Grandal is still expected to be present in Los Angeles for their exhibition game Saturday and be ready for Opening Day, and this development certainly makes those hopes much more realistic.