MLB Player News

Manager Dave Roberts said Grandal (forearm) will be ready for Opening Day, Eric Stephen of True Blue LA reports.

Grandal will join his teammates in Anaheim on Saturday, and he should be ready for Monday's opener against Tyson Ross and the Padres. The Dodgers start the season with a seven-game week, but they'll be facing some tough pitchers at Petco Park and then AT&T Park. Grandal's health still bears watching, as he was previously expected to miss the first few games of the season.

Grandal (forearm) received clearance to throw and take "dry swings" Monday, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

Grandal's tosses consisted of catching Scott Kazmir's (abdomen) bullpen session, which build upon mere defensive drills in recent days. With Grandal's absence from game action extending to within a week of Opening Day, the likelihood of a DL stint to begin the season grows significantly, but back-dating would result in his availability as soon as he's healthy in the initial stanzas of the coming campaign.

Stewart went 0-for-3 with a walk on Monday against the Twins.

Stewart batted .289/.320/.340 during 172 plate appearances in 2015. His career batting average is .238 but his numbers last season indicate what Stewart brings to the Pirates' offense. He doesn't quite have the pop of other players (his last home run came in 2013) but he provides great defense and improves the play of his pitchers, especially Gerrit Cole who went 12-4 with a 2.24 ERA with Stewart as his battery mate.

Realmuto continued his hot spring Sunday against the Cardinals, driving in two runs and scoring a run while going 2-for-3 at the plate.

The 25-year-old catcher is batting .324/.350/.378 over 37 Grapefruit League at-bats, mostly hitting seventh in the batting order. He has yet to show much pop this spring, but Realmuto offers double digit power potential and can also chip in a handful of stolen bases. If Realmuto can carry his spring success into the regular season, he will have no problem topping the solid .259/.290/.406 batting line he posted as a rookie last season.

d'Arnaud failed to reach base (0-for-3) during Monday's game against the Cardinals.

The 27-year-old is batting .184/.273/.237 this spring with only two extra-base hits and eight RBI. d'Arnaud will look to build upon his 2015 campaign as Opening Day rolls around, as he hit .268/.340/.485 last season. He will most likely split some of his catching duties with Kevin Plawecki throughout the season, but a bigger concern for fantasy owners is d'Arnaud's health. He only played in 67 games last year and has battled injuries throughout his time in the MLB.

Grandal (forearm) has a chance to play catch and swing a bat as early as Monday, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

Grandal is able to catch bullpen sessions at this time, and even participates in some defensive drills. That being said, the backstop has been doing all of those tasks without working in any throwing. If he's able to make that progression Monday, it would be a great sign, although Grandal remains scheduled to open the 2016 season on the disabled list.

Diaz (elbow) confirmed Saturday that he will not require surgery, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune reports. "I was worried before, but not now. I don't need surgery, just rest and treatment," said Diaz.

The 25-year-old catching prospect was put on the shelf earlier this week when he began experiencing elbow discomfort. Fortunately, the following reports have been largely positive, and Diaz confirmed Saturday that surgery can be taken out of the equation. Still, the Pirates are set at catcher at the major league level for now, so Diaz will likely start the year at Triple-A once his elbow discomfort subsides.

Grandal (forearm) will likely start the season on the disabled list, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

While there is still hope that Grandal won't miss too much time once the season gets underway, his forearm injury will still likely land him on the disabled list to start the year. Grandal will be held out of baseball activities through at least the weekend and the expectation is for him to test out his forearm Monday. A.J Ellis figures to be the Dodgers' primary catcher with Grandal sidelined while Austin Barnes could serve as the backup for the time being.

Grandal (forearm) will be out through at least Monday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Grandal has been battling a forearm injury all week and was even sent in for testing on the area on Tuesday. He continues to have his timetable pushed back, and Gurnick notes that Grandal's chances of being ready for Opening Day continue to grow smaller with each day that passes. This is certainly a concern for owners targeting Grandal later in drafts hoping that this is the year he cashes in on his upside with the Dodgers.

Mesoraco (hip) has been getting extra at-bats in minor league games to make up for his late start to spring training.

The Reds seem confident that Mesoraco will be able to go for Opening Day. It wouldn't be a surprise if Mesoraco plays less regularly early in the season to preserve his health, however.