MLB Player News

Murphy will receive a bone scan Friday in Arizona to assess the healing progress of his broken right wrist, Nick Groke of The Denver Post reports.

The backstop's last significant update came about two weeks ago, when it was reported he was not yet doing fielding drills. Murphy could return in the coming weeks to join an already crowded Rockies catcher pool, though his performance against live pitching and eventually minor-league hurlers will determine his immediate timetable. Still, in deep two-catcher fantasy leagues, he's a useful stash for his offensive potential at hitter-friendly Coors Field in the event he runs away with majority playing time.

Bethancourt will focus on pitching while at Triple-A El Paso, Dennis Lin of the Union-Tribune reports.

The Padres outrighted Bethancourt off the 40-man roster Tuesday after his struggles as both a reliever and as a hitter while with the big-league club. According to Lin, Bethancourt will leave open the possibility of going back behind the plate down the line, but wants to train primarily as a pitcher for the time being. Bethancourt has strong velocity on his fastball, sitting at 94.1 miles per hour, but he'll need time to hone in on his command. He walked a whopping eight batters in just 3.2 innings while with the Padres, but it's clear that the organization is confident enough in his upside to where they believe he can develop as a pitcher down the line.

Hedges is out of the lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Hedges has shown tremendous power at the plate lately. Over the last seven games he's slugged four home runs and notched nine RBI across 22 at-bats. He'll get the night off as the Padres opt to start Luis Torrens at catcher.

Sanchez (biceps) will begin his rehab assignment Monday, Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record reports.

Sanchez opened the season by playing just five games before being placed on the disabled list with a bicep strain. Over that brief span he went 3-for-20 (.150). To this point he's gradually increased his level of activity and recently began participating in batting practice. Although the team has yet to provide a specific timeframe for his return, it would seem that an early-May activation from the DL would be obtainable if his upcoming rehab assignment goes smoothly.

Barnes is in the Dodgers' Thursday lineup against the Giants, hitting sixth and playing catcher, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Barnes replaces Yasmani Grandal during the afternoon game against southpaw Matt Moore. He could be a sneaky daily fantasy play considering the platoon advantage.

Grandal is not in the Dodgers' Thursday lineup against the Giants, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Austin Barnes takes his place against southpaw Matt Moore. It's also probably a day off in the afternoon game for the starting backstop. Grandal should be back in action Friday.

Mesoraco (hip, shoulder) was activated from the 10-day disabled list Thursday.

The backstop may not play the workload of a starter, but even with his health issues, he still carries upside at the plate -- perhaps the pace of a 20-homer season the rest of the way. Mesoraco should eventually overtake Tucker Barnhart, as long as he's healthy, and deserves a pickup or activation in two-catcher mixed leagues. Strong progress could put him in the discussion to start in single-catcher games later in the season.

Sanchez (biceps) took normal batting practice in the cage and threw from 120 feet Wednesday, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports.

This represents two major steps in his rehab, after he was most recently hitting off a tee and had been throwing from 60 and 90 feet. Throwing from 120 feet was thought to be the biggest step for him to clear, so it will be interesting to see how his injury responds to the day's activities. He remains without a firm timetable for a rehab assignment.

Gomes is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Astros.

Gomes has turned things around at the plate as of late, batting .429 over the past week, but he'll get a night off nonetheless. Roberto Perez will fill in behind the dish for the evening.

Mesoraco (hip, shoulder) will be activated by the Reds on Friday, C. Trent Rosencrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Mesoraco completed his rehab assignment with Double-A Pensacola on Tuesday and it appears the long-awaited return is finally in sight. The 28-year-old hasn't played in a major-league game in over a year and hasn't made it through an entire season since 2014, so expectations should be greatly tempered regarding his durability. Additionally, the Reds will keep catchers Tucker Barnhart and Stuart Turner on the roster as Mesoraco eases back into action, meaning he won't be playing in an everyday capacity right away. The veteran catcher hit just .170/.291/.255 over 13 games with Pensacola.