MLB Player News

D'Arnaud went 2-for-2 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

The blast was his first of the spring, and d'Arnaud is now slashing a strong .294/.455/.529 through 17 at-bats. The 29-year-old played a career-high 112 games last season and as a result slugged a career-high 16 homers and 57 RBI, but his rate stats remained mediocre, and even if he can stay healthy in 2018 there's little reason to expect a sudden renaissance from the one-time top prospect.

Contreras is 5-for-14 with a home run through five Cactus League games.

Contreras was strong last spring training as well, posting a 1.147 OPS, and he wound up with 21 home runs, 74 RBI and a .276/.356/.499 line in the regular season. The 25-year-old should be able to equal or surpass those numbers if he stays healthy. Last season, Contreras was limited to 117 games, mainly due to a hamstring injury that cost him almost a month.

The Rangers designated Nicholas for assignment Wednesday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic Dallas reports.

The transaction comes on the heels of Texas announcing the signing of reliever Tim Lincecum, who will assume Nicholas' spot on the 40-man roster. Nicholas had been in contention for the Rangers' backup catching gig, but assuming he goes unclaimed off waivers or isn't traded elsewhere, he'll likely remain in the thick of the competition for the role with Juan Centeno.

Mejia has been diagnosed with a right foot contusion, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Mejia suffered the injury after being hit by a pitch on his foot during Tuesday's Cactus League game. The good news is manager Terry Francona said the backstop is fine, noting his removal from the contest was simply precautionary. While the Indians could play it safe with the 22-year-old and hold him out of spring action for a little, the issue doesn't sound like anything that will affect his status for the start of the season. The highly-regarded prospect is set to open the season with Triple-A Columbus, though he could earn a promotion to the majors if Yan Gomes or Roberto Perez were to go down with an injury.

Mejia was removed from Tuesday's Cactus League game after being hit by a pitch on his foot, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

It's possible his removal was simply precautionary, as Mejia was able to walk off under his own power after briefly being checked on by manager Terry Francona and a member of the team's medical staff. More specifics regarding the injury should come forth once he's further evaluated, but consider the highly-touted prospect day-to-day for the time being.

Barnes (elbow) is in the lineup as a catcher for Tuesday's game against the Cubs, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Barnes has appeared in three games this spring, all as a designated hitter. He's been battling a minor elbow injury since the start of spring, but since he's back catching more than three weeks before Opening Day, he should be fine by the start of the regular season. He's expected to back up Yasmani Grandal this season.

Martinez was moved to minor-league camp Sunday.

Although Martinez played one game at both Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis, the majority of his 2017 season was spent at High-A Palm Beach. He had a tough time being productive on offense, as he hit .189/.273/.204 over 60 games with Palm Beach.

Mesoraco is 4-for-11 with two doubles in his first six games of spring training and hasn't been hurt so far, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports. "He looks as healthy as I can remember, going back to 2014," Price said. "He just looks normal. There's no concern about his hip labrum or the shoulder issue that he had. I think more than anything, I feel good about where he is physically because I think he can be very productive if he can stay on the field and remain healthy."

The Reds have made it clear that Tucker Barnhart is the starter over Mesoraco, but if he can somehow recapture his 2014 form, the latter could easily turn that into at least an even timeshare.

Barnes (elbow) is scheduled to catch Tuesday's game, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Manager Dave Roberts had previously been vague about the status of Barnes, but now he has a firm date in sight. Barnes has seen plenty of reps as a designated hitter, but a return to backstop will mark a milestone in his recovery. Despite the step in the right direction, Barnes remains projected to be the short side of the LA catching platoon.

Thaiss came off the bench and went 2-for-2 with a solo home run in Saturday's spring training loss to the Mariners.

The Angels' first base prospect has hit the ground running this spring, batting .313 (5-for-16) with a pair of homers and four RBI. He has a tough road to breaking camp on the 25-man roster as the club will likely want its backup first baseman to be right-handed in order to platoon with Luis Valbuena. That said, if the 22-year-old can continue to prove that he has developed the power to complement his solid discipline at the plate (77 walks in 606 plate appearances across two levels last season), he could force manager Mike Scioscia to make a tough decision come Opening Day.