MLB Player News

Barnhart is out of the lineup Thursday against the Braves, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

With Devin Mesoraco (neck) ready to catch Thursday after sitting out Cincinnati's past three contests, Barnhart will receive a breather for the day game after a night game. Barnhart's offense has yet to suffer this season due to the hefty workload behind the plate, as he has delivered a respectable .250/.346/.412 line across 79 plate appearances.

Mesoraco (neck) will start at catcher and bat sixth Thursday against the Braves, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Mesoraco's stiff neck had kept him out of the lineup for the past three games, but because he typically only plays a couple times per week, the Reds didn't need to call up an extra catcher from the minors in the short term. After taking some time to rest up, Mesoraco will be ready to step in for Tucker Barnhart as the Reds play a day game after a night game.

Realmuto blasted two home runs and drove in three in a 2-for-6 game Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Realmuto has absolutely mashed since coming off the disabled list April 17. He has four home runs in just seven games and now owns a .385/.448/.846 line in the early going. Obviously Realmuto will come down to Earth eventually, but the 27-year-old should be rounding into his prime and hit a respectable .278/.332/.451 with a career-high 17 home runs last season. Realmuto has steadily improved since his call up in 2015, and at this point he could be the best hitter in this bare-bones Marlins lineup.

McCann is not in the lineup for Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Pirates.

McCann will get the night off after catching all nine innings in Game 1 and going 2-for-6 with a solo homer. In his place, John Hicks will start behind the dish and bat sixth.

Mesoraco (neck) is not in the lineup against the Braves on Wednesday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Mesoraco was scratched from the starting nine prior to Tuesday's game with neck stiffness and will stay on the bench for at least one more day. Tucker Barnhart will handle the catching duties and bat seventh during Wednesday's tilt.

Contreras went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run, his first of the season, in Tuesday's win over the Indians.

Contreras is slashing a solid .274/.361/.438, but the one home run to date is a bit disappointing considering he blasted 21 in 377 at-bats last season. However, the 25-year-old's MLB track record suggests that he should start to see more balls go over the fence if he keeps making good contact at the plate.

Maldonado is not in the lineup against the Astros on Wednesday.

Maldonado will get a standard day off for maintenance purposes after starting the past three games behind the plate. In his absence, Rene Rivera will catch Nick Tropeano and bat ninth.

Thaiss went 4-for-5 with three runs Tuesday for Double-A Mobile against Mississippi.

The four-hit night upped his average from .250 to .290, and his overall slash line (.290/.333/.464) now looks closer to what we would expect from Thaiss in a return trip to the Southern League. His current .174 ISO is his highest mark since rookie ball, which is important because hitting for notable power was the one thing he needed to improve on this season. He will likely be promoted to Triple-A in the coming months, and may even earn a September call-up to the majors.

Realmuto went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Tuesday's win over the Dodgers.

Realmuto took Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda deep in the third inning for his second home run of the year. After starting the season on the disabled list, the backstop has come out swinging, going 8-for-20 in six games with five RBI and five runs scored. Realmuto hit .278 last year with 17 home runs and 65 RBI.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and two runs scored Tuesday against the Twins.

After hitting just .063/.091/.188 through 32 at-bats to begin the season, Sanchez sat out two games with a calf injury. Since then, he has recorded at least one hit in nine of his 11 games, and has also produced two multi-home run games along with 12 RBI and eight runs scored. Though he's still hitting just .208/.247/.481 for the season, he has broken out of his early-season slump.