MLB Player News

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.

Okey went 3-for-4 with a double Tuesday night at High-A Daytona, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Despite the big game Tuesday, he is hitting just .170/.254/.264 there.

We've often seen catchers slow to develop at the plate, but the second-round draft pick out of Clemson last year has shown some disturbing signs. He had a 29 percent strikeout rate at Low-A Dayton last year, and that rate is up to 35.6 percent this year with the level bump. While Okey isn't known as a high-ceiling offensive player, his defensive tools won't get him to the big leagues if he can't master the strike zone at lower levels of the minors.

Collins made a technical adjustment to reduce his throw time to second base and has thwarted 10 of 14 stolen base attempts this season, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

White Sox catching coordinator John Orton suggested a change in throwing mechanics which has resulted in an improvement in Collins' pop time. This is the kind of improvement the White Sox are looking for out of Collins, who was a 2016 first-round pick. The 22-year-old is just 2-for-29 at the plate over his last nine games, so he's got some work to do when it comes to hitting, as well.

McCann went 2-for-5 with a homer, a walk and four RBI in a 19-9 win against the Mariners on Tuesday.

The power's been flowing steadily for McCann -- this was his fifth homer already -- but he's still only hitting .178. He has only three non-homer hits, all singles, in 45 at-bats. However, McCann's batting eye has looked good (9:10 BB:K), and his BABIP luck has been as atrocious as that would imply. He should absolutely be owned in two-catcher leagues.

Bethancourt cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A on Tuesday.

It wasn't the ideal start for Bethancourt, who allowed nine runs (six earned) through 3.2 relief innings while going 1-for-7 as a hitter. He went unclaimed through waivers and will report to Triple-A El Paso, where he'll look to get back on the mound and at the plate.

D'Arnaud (wrist) is catching and batting eighth Tuesday against the Braves.

D'Arnaud has been dealing with wrist pain over the past week, causing him to be held out of the starting lineup for the last four games (though he was able to make brief appearances in each game). His wrist is feeling well enough to throw, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports, prompting manager Terry Collins to reinsert him as the Mets' backstop. The 28-year-old is slashing .244/.326/.488 with two homers and nine RBI through 41 at-bats.

Grandal was slotted fourth in the lineup Monday, going 0-for-4 in a 2-1 loss to the Giants.

In a surprising move, manager Dave Roberts slotted his catcher ahead of Adrian Gonzalez in the batting order. Grandal had gone 1-for-6 against Matt Cain prior to Monday's game, so the move doesn't appear to be a matchup play. The 28-year-old's .442 slugging percentage (over 100 points higher than Gonzalez's) may have something to do with the lineup shift. We will have to see if this lineup shift sticks past Monday, as it would be a boon to Grandal's fantasy value.

Hedges went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and two RBI in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Diamondbacks.

After a terrible start, Hedges now has six home runs in his last eight games and has his average up to .183. The 24-year-old was always a defense-first backstop, but he made considerable strides with the bat in the minors last season, giving the Padres and fantasy owners hope that he could contribute at the plate in his first full season as the starter. The homer binge won't last, but it's a reminder that he can provide offensively for stretches in two-catcher and deep NL-only leagues.

Mesoraco (hip, shoulder) is targeting a Friday return from the DL, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.

Mesoraco's final day of his rehab assignment is Tuesday, but the Reds won't activate him until after their off day Thursday. The big question for the Reds is whether they'll keep three catchers or otherwise try to sneak Rule 5 pick Stuart Turner through waivers, assuming the Twins simply don't claim Turner when he's offered back.

Barnhart is not in the lineup Monday against the Brewers, C. Trent Rosencrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

It appears to be just a normal day off for Barnhart. The 26-year-old catcher has gotten off to a decent start this season while filling in for the injured Devin Mesoraco, slashing .275/.327/.333 in 57 plate appearances. He'll most likely be back behind the plate by the end of the series.