MLB Player News

Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco is in the team's starting lineup Monday.

Mesoraco has been splitting time with Ryan Hanigan this season. He's hitting .254/.331/.390 in 118 at-bats this year. Mesoraco will face Pirates starter Francisco Liriano. 

Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal hit his first home run of 2013 in Saturday's win over Arizona.

Grandal finished 1 for 2 with a walk and the three-run home run. It's been a rough start for Grandal since his return from a PED suspension in late May. His OBP is over .300 for the first time this season, and even with Saturday's solid game, his OPS still sits at a poor .601. On the bright side, he has more walks than strikeouts, perhaps a sign it's just a matter of time until the hits fall in.

Brewers catcher Martin Maldonado went deep Friday during a 4-3 loss at Cincinnati. Maldonado hit his third HR of the season in the eighth inning off starter Bronson Arroyo. 

The backstop finished 1 for 4 with two RBI. He added his second RBI of the game in the sixth inning when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Maldonado is batting .172 for the season. 

Maldonado, not an everyday player, has hits in his last two games. That said, he's still just 2 for 12 (.167) in June over six games and three starts. He does have two homers and three RBI for the month to this point. 

The San Francisco Giants made a handful of roster moves Thursday, recalling catcher Hector Sanchez and reliever Jake Dunning, designating reliever Ramon Ramirez and optioning first baseman Brett Pill. 

Sanchez was hitting .320 in Triple-A and Dunning had a 1.75 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 36 Triple-A innings. 

Ramirez pitched 5 2/3 innings for the Giants out of relief, giving up seven earned runs. Pill hit .148 in 27 at-bats for San Francisco, with a home run and two doubles. 

Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco will make his second consecutive start Thursday against the Cubs.

Mesoraco has been splitting time with Ryan Hanigan, but Mesoraco has the better line -- .248/.323/.389 in 113 at-bats. Mesoraco will bat eighth against Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija. 

Mets catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud will go for a follow up exam Monday on his broken foot.

d'Arnaud tweeted that he's working on "strength and range of motion," and that he will visit the doctor Monday. He got rid of his walking boot this week. 

d'Arnaud was hitting .250/.429/.472 in 36 at-bats at Triple-A Las Vegas before the injury. 

Mets catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud no longer has a walking boot, but will need some time before he can really start rehabbing, according to Newsday. 

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said d'Arnaud will not be able to run for two weeks. d'Arnaud missed seven weeks after fracturing a bone in his foot. 

Mets catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud was cleared to remove his walking boot, according to ESPNNewYork.com.

d'Arnaud tweeted that he can start buying left shoes again, hinting that he no longer has a walking boot. He's been out for seven weeks after fracturing a bone in his foot. He is considered one of the team's top prospects entering the season. He was the prize of the R.A. Dickey deal.

d'Arnaud is hitting .250/.429/.472 in 36 at-bats in Triple-A. 

Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal is not in Thursday's lineup against the Rockies. He has started seven of his team's last nine games at catcher since returning from a 50-game suspension.

Grandal is just 3 for 27 with two RBI and four runs this year.

Yes, he's been a dud, but after only 21 at-bats, so was Carlos Gomez. It doesn't mean Yasmani Grandal needed PEDs to perform like he did as a rookie and wouldn't have been able to lift the bat from his shoulder otherwise. It just means his season has just started.

Granted, we'd have an easier time assessing him if he homered in his first game and doubled twice in his second, but rarely is baseball so convenient. Knowing his upside -- and yes, he was considered one of the best hitting prospects at the catcher position well before he ever failed a drug test -- he has the potential to be a game-changer at a relatively weak position. If Chris Iannetta or Erik Kratz is the best you can do off the waiver wire, then you should be willing to suffer through a couple down weeks for the sake of Grandal's potential.

What's a resonable expectation for him the rest of the way? Well, expecting some regression from last year but also accounting for the reduced size of the Padres' home park, I have him 10th among catchers in my rest-of-season rankings, ahead of notables Jonathan Lucroy, Jason Castro and, yes, Evan Gattis.