MLB Player News

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.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's loss to the Brewers.

The catcher went deep in his second at-bat of the season, as he was activated earlier in the day after missing the first 20 games of the year with a Grade 2 MCL tear. Manager Ned Yost could elect to take it somewhat cautiously with Perez and give the 27-year-old more days off than usual at first, but it's encouraging to see him off to a good start.

Grandal is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Marlins.

Grandal is off to a solid start to the season, hitting .328/.423/.552 with three homers in 18 games, but he will get the night off after making seven consecutive starts behind the dish. Austin Barnes will start at catcher and hit sixth in his stead.

Barnhart is starting at catcher and hitting sixth Tuesday against the Braves, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic Cincinnati reports.

Barnhart was originally scheduled to get the game off, but he'll rejoin the starting lineup after Devin Mesoraco was scratched with neck stiffness. The 27-year-old backstop is hitting .250/.348/.417 with two homers in 70 plate appearances this season.

Mesoraco was scratched from Tuesday's lineup against the Braves with neck stiffness, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic Cincinnati reports.

The Reds have yet to indicate that Mesoraco is dealing with a serious injury, so consider him day-to-day for now. With Mesoraco out of the lineup, Tucker Barnhart will serve as Cincinnati's backstop and hit sixth.

Gallagher was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

Gallagher is no longer needed as the team's backup catcher with Salvador Perez coming off the disabled list, so he'll head back to the minors to serve as organizational depth. He hit just .208/.240/.292 across 25 plate appearances with the big club.