MLB Player News

Lino has received an invitation to Phillies spring training.

Lino hasn't improved enough offensively since breaking into the minors in 2011 to earn a big league roster spot, but his strong arm behind the plate keeps him in consideration. It seems highly improbably that the 22-year-old will land in the majors, but perhaps the small taste of it during spring training will provide a jump-start to his season.

Monell was designated for assignment by the Mets on Friday.

He was a distant third on the depth chart behind Travis d'Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki. The Mets, having re-signed Bartolo Colon to a one-year deal, decided to bump Monell and will now risk losing him to waivers. Monell has done little with his major-league opportunities thus far, but he has hit .279/.356/.455 in parts of four seasons at Triple-A, making him a serviceable depth piece for an organization.

Bethancourt (knee) was traded to the Padres on Thursday in exchange for Casey Kelly and Ricardo Rodriguez, MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old has done little with the bat in 80 games at the major-league level, slashing .219/.245/.283 while walking at a 2.9 percent clip. However, Bethancourt's athleticism and exceptional arm should afford him plenty of opportunities down the line, though there is not a clear path to a 2016 role with Derek Norris, Austin Hedges and Josmil Pinto all in San Diego.

Mesoraco (hip) said Friday that he is "feeling great" and expects to report to spring training as normal, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Hip issues derailed Mesoraco's 2015 season early on, and after a failed attempt to acclimate him to left field, the Reds sent the 27-year-old for surgery. Mesoraco was cleared to resume squatting about a month ago, and he said Friday that he's had no problems getting in and out of the catching position. He will start adding more drills to his routine early next month.

Schlehuber signed a minor league contract with the Braves that includes an invitation to spring training.

Schlehuber reached Triple-A for the first time last season, but struggled mightily at the plate, slashing .158/.224/.193 in a mere 128 plate appearances at that level. With other options at catcher ahead of him, this signing appears to be nothing more than a move for more organizational depth at catcher.

Garcia signed a minor league contract with the Brewers on Friday.

Garcia split time between Double-A and Triple-A in 2015, struggling to just a .245/.260/.265 after the promotion. He'll likely serve as catching depth with the Brewers, but the 25-year-old could see his first stint in the majors at some point during 2016.

Mesoraco (hip) has resumed squatting, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Now about four and a half months removed from hip surgery, Mesoraco has been cleared to get into the squat position but has not yet started baseball activities. The plan calls for Mesoraco to return to Cincinnati in December to start working with catching coordinator Mike Stefanski in hopes of being ready for spring training. Mesoraco was limited to just 23 games in 2015, managing two extra-base hits (zero homers) in 51 plate appearances.

Mets assistant GM John Ricco said Tuesday that Plawecki could split time with Travis d'Arnaud at catcher in 2016, Newsday's Marc Carig reports.

A position change could come in the future for either Plawecki or d'Arnaud, but the team has no urgency to make a switch. Plawecki ended up appearing in more regular-season games than d'Arnaud in 2015, with the latter once again missing significant time due to injury. D'Arnaud did far outperform Plawecki at the dish, but Plawecki was more valuable defensively and a timeshare would make sense given d'Arnaud's medical history.

Mets assistant GM John Ricco said Tuesday that d'Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki could split time at catcher in 2016, Newsday's Marc Carig reports.

Ricco also suggested a position change for d'Arnaud or Plawecki could come down the line, but there is no urgency to move either player out from behind the plate at this point. While d'Arnaud hit 12 homers with an .825 OPS in 2015, he once again missed significant time due to injury, something that's been a recurring theme throughout his young career. Splitting time with Plawecki would theoretically keep both players fresh for the long haul.

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal will have surgery on his left shoulder Wednesday, but is expected to be ready for spring training, Eric Stephen of SB Nation reports.

Shoulders can be tricky, so we probably won't have much of a timetable until shortly after the surgery.