MLB Player News

Bethancourt signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers on Monday which includes an invitation to spring training.

Bethancourt has spent parts of each of the previous two seasons as a two-way player for the Padres, though he hasn't found much success in either role. The 26-year-old hit just .225/.261/.360 across 211 plate appearances with San Diego over the past two seasons while allowing nine runs (six earned) on six hits and eight walks across 5.1 innings over that same span. It's unclear if the Brewers will continue to use Bethancourt as a two-way player at this point, but at the very least, look for him to offer organizational catching depth in 2018.

Rosario signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

Rosario played in 50 games for Triple-A Memphis in the Cardinals' system in 2017, but also appeared in 23 games for the big-league club during the past two seasons. The soon-to-be 31-year-old hasn't been able to find any success during his brief opportunities in the majors, but he will provide organizational depth for the Diamondbacks heading into 2018. Last season at Triple-A, he slashed .247/.291/.279 with 23 RBI and six extra-base hits.

Sanchez agreed to a minor-league deal with the Giants on Thursday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Sanchez will return to the Giants' organization, where he spent the first nine years of his career before appearing with the White Sox and Padres in 2016 and 2017. Buster Posey and Nick Hundley have the catching duties locked down at the major-league level, so Sanchez will kick things off in the minors in 2018.

Davis signed a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training with the Cubs on Friday, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Davis was recently non-tendered by the Cubs at the beginning of the month, but the club will bring him back on a minor-league deal after he spent most of the 2017 season with Triple-A Iowa. During that time, he slashed .297/.357/.429 with six home runs and 62 RBI. He wound up playing in eight games for the big-league team as well, but there won't be much use for him at the major-league level with Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini on the roster.

Mesoraco (foot) is expected to serve as the backup to Tucker Barnhart in 2018, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.

Mesoraco has only been able to appear in 95 games over the past three years due to various injuries, including labrum tears in both hips, a left shoulder ailment, and most recently a broken foot which caused him to miss the rest of the 2018 season after sustaining the injury in mid-August. Moving forward, he will be behind the plate a couple times a week but mainly utilized as a pinch hitter in late-inning situations. During the 2017 season, Mesoraco slashed .213/.321/.390 with six home runs and 14 RBI in 56 games.

Barnhart will be the primary catcher heading into the 2018 season, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Coming off a terrific season that saw him win the National League Gold Glove award, Barnhart will earn the "lion's share of the playing time" according to manager Bryan Price. Due to Devin Mesoraco's inability to stay off the disabled list -- coupled with Barnhart's performance -- the Reds will utilize the former All-Star as a backup and pinch hitter in the later innings. Barnhart was rewarded with a four-year, $16 million contract in September, after slashing .270/.347/.403 with seven home runs and 44 RBI in 2017.

Rosario cleared waivers and was outrighted off the Cardinals' 40-man roster Monday, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

The 30-year-old has appeared in just 23 games for the Cardinals over the past two seasons, hitting .171/.209/.429 in 44 plate appearances. With Yadier Molina and top-prospect Carson Kelly ahead of him on the depth chart, Rosario's path to the big leagues with St. Louis is very murky.

Wallach was claimed off waivers by the Marlins on Friday, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Wallach spent six games with the Reds in 2017, going 1-for-11 at the plate with five strikeouts during a limited opportunity in September. Moving ahead, he will serve as organizational depth for the Marlins, and will likely begin next season with Triple-A New Orleans.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Game 5 of the NLCS against the Cubs on Thursday.

Grandal will head to the bench for the fourth time in this series as Austin Barnes is set to catch Clayton Kershaw and bat seventh in the lineup. Over the course of the postseason, Grandal is just 0-for-5 at the plate, with three walks and two strikeouts.

Contreras (forearm) is starting at catcher and batting fifth for Game 4 of the NLCS against the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Contreras took a pitch off his forearm in the eighth inning of Game 3, but the injury was never expected to keep him out of the Cubs' crucial Game 4 clash. He's 2-for-11 with six strikeouts in the NLCS, which the Dodgers lead 3-0.