MLB Player News

Grandal (arm) went 1-for-2 with a home run in Friday's spring training loss to Arizona. He's hitting .417 (5-for-12) in six games this spring.

Grandal missed some time earlier in the week with a right arm contusion. He's returning from offseason shoulder surgery, but looks set to be ready for Opening Day.

Contreras was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Friday.

In 13 games with the major league club this spring, Contreras recorded five hits, including three doubles, and walked four times without striking out. If Miguel Montero goes down at any point this season, we could see Contreras called up to take on a prominent role behind the plate.

Murphy was reassigned to minor league camp Friday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Murphy is expected to land at Triple-A Albuquerque, where he'll see regular at-bats with an opportunity to learn the pitching staff. The 24-year-old had an 11-game cup of coffee with the Rockies last season, but he played primarily at the Double and Triple-A levels.

Mesoraco (hip) hit a two-run home run off the Indians' Danny Salazar in his spring debut Thursday.

As manager Bryan Price said would be the case, Mesoraco started with a light workload in his debut, catching two innings. He will gradually build up to nine innings and then back-to-backs over the remainder of spring training. The 27-year-old certainly made the most of his lone at-bat Thursday, but the bat hasn't been in question. The question is if his hip and lower-body can hold up to the rigors of the catcher position.

Realmuto is off to a solid start at the dish during Grapefruit League play, batting .316 (6-for-19) with two walks, a double and two RBI over eight games.

Locked in as the Marlins' starting backstop, Realmuto will look to take a step forward from the respectable .259/.290/.406 line he posted over 126 as a rookie. He knocked 10 home runs in limited time last year and also chipped in eight steals. Given that he posted double digit stolen base totals in three of his four full minor league seasons (2011-2014), Realmuto offers a under-the-radar blend of power and speed at his position.

Mesoraco (hip) will be behind the plate for Thursday's spring game, MLB.com reports. "He'll start with a light workload and build himself up to nine innings, and then back-to-back games," manager Bryan Price said.

The 27-year-old will make his much anticipated return to game action after missing most of last season with a hip injury, and then dealing with a groin ailment early in camp. Mesoraco will need to gradually increase his workload while avoiding any setbacks in order to be ready on Opening Day. Tucker Barnhart is the primary backup entering 2016.

Barnes is batting .389/.522/.889 this spring as he battles for a spot on the Dodgers' bench.

If you assume that Carl Crawford and Alex Guerrero crack the 25-man roster and the Dodgers carry 12 pitchers, there won't be room for Barnes. He's been seeing time at positions other than catcher this spring to improve his versatility

The Pirates reassigned McGuire to minor-league camp Monday.

He's expected to serve as the full-time starter for Double-A Altoona. McGuire, who went 1-for-10 in Grapefruit League action, remains the organization's top catching prospect. His defense is already major-league ready, but he's a work in progress, offensively. McGuire batted .254/.301/.294 in 374 at-bats for High-A Bradenton in 2015.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI against Detroit on Sunday.

The catcher is set to start the season with Triple-A Indianapolis after Pittsburgh resigned backup Chris Stewart to a two-year deal. After slashing .312/.366/.421 in 404 minor-league plate appearances in 2014, he fell off last year (.271/.330/.382) and oddly made only two plate appearances as a September recall. The organization still values Diaz, however, as the Bucs reportedly turned down an offseason deal which would have sent the catcher to Texas in exchange for first baseman, Mitch Moreland.

The Mets are in the market for a backup catcher, which is another indication that Plawecki opens the season at Triple-A Las Vegas, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

Rather than have Plawecki see 1-to-2 games a week backing up Travid d'Arnaud to open the season, the Mets would prefer he sees regular action and about 150-200 at-bats for the 51s, after which the team could promote Plawecki and have him serve as d'Arnaud's backup. New York is not enamored with Johnny Monell or the other catchers in camp and may not find that backup available, meaning Plawecki could end up breaking camp with the team.