MLB Player News

Grandal went 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI during Monday's 14-3 win over the Padres.

Grandal followed Joc Pederson's grand slam with a solo homer to right in the third inning and capped off the scoring with a shot to left from the other side of the plate in the eighth. He slugged a career-high 27 homers in just 390 at-bats last year and seems to have picked up right where he left off in 2017.

Bethancourt suffered cuts to his knee but no structural damage Monday against the Dodgers, MLB.com's AJ Cassavell reports.

Bethancourt was covering home after uncorking a wild pitch on the first delivery of his outing when Andrew Toles spiked him during the play at the plate. The 25-year-old made the Opening Day roster as a reliever after mostly catching throughout his career, and in addition to being banged up Monday, his outing did not go too well either. He allowed a three-run home run to Corey Seager and walked two in 1.1 innings. Regardless, the injury seems to be nothing serious.

Mesoraco (hip, shoulder) has a "fluid timetable" for his return from the DL, with the Reds suggesting that it might be more than the minimum 10 days, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.

Mesoraco remained behind in extended spring training, and his return date will be clearer once he begins a minor league rehab assignment. "We've got a template that's drawn up. It can be accelerated. It can be pushed back," manager Bryan Price said. "Certainly when he starts the 20-day [rehab assignment], he has 20 days to be ready to go unless he has a setback. We are going to get him to the point where he is going to play his back-to-back nine-inning games."

Narvaez will draw the start at catcher and bat seventh in Monday's season opener against the Tigers.

Narvaez looks to be option 1A in the White Sox's unimpressive catching platoon, with Geovany Soto presumably opening the season as the backup following a meager spring. The 25-year-old Narvaez climbed the minor-league ladder quickly last season and eventually earned a call to the White Sox in the second half, with whom he registered a .350 OBP over 117 plate appearances. That small sample was encouraging, but it included a dearth of production in the power department, which will probably make him no more than a low-end option in AL-only or mixed leagues that start two catchers.

General manager David Stearns confirmed Garcia (concussion) was released from the hospital Monday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Garcia was diagnosed with a concussion after a hard collision at home plate in the Brewers' final spring game Saturday. According to McCalvy, he's entered the the league's concussion protocol and will have to pass every test before he's cleared to play again. Expect more updates as the 27-year-old continues to progress through his rehab.

D'Arnaud isn't in the lineup for the Mets' season opener Monday against the Braves, David Lennon of Newsday reports.

Noah Syndergaard is on the hill for the Mets, so his personal catcher, Rene Rivera, will get the nod over d'Arnaud. While health hasn't been an issue for d'Arnaud this spring, he's struggled to control the running game and could lose out on starts to Rivera as a result if he fails to show much improvement during the regular season. Look for d'Arnaud to make his season debut Wednesday.

Contreras finished 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, a run scored and two strikeouts in Sunday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Cardinals.

Contreras' big blow came in the top of the ninth inning, as he hit a three-run bomb to tie the game and spoil closer Seung Hwan Oh's first official save opportunity following a Matt Carpenter error. The young backstop managed 12 dingers in 252 at-bats last season, and he's certainly a candidate to top 20 long balls over a full season.

McCann (hand) will get the starting nod behind the plate and bat seventh in the order in the Tigers' season opener Monday against the White Sox, MLB.com's Jason Beck reports.

McCann was cleared of any structural damage to his left hand after he was hit by a pitch during an exhibition Saturday, prompting the Tigers to give him the green light to assume catching duties for Opening Day. While Alex Avila is back with the Tigers this season, he's no longer much of a threat to consistently poach starts from McCann like he was in 2015. McCann, who batted .221 with 12 homers and 48 RBI last season, should be on tap for about four or five starts most weeks.

Garcia was diagnosed with a concussion Sunday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Though a concussion is nothing to scoff at, Garcia was lucky to avoid a major injury following his nasty collision at the plate during Saturday's game against the White Sox. It's very possible that he will land on the disabled list, but the 27-year-old hopefully won't have to miss too much time to start the 2017 campaign. The Brewers formally reassigned him to Triple-A Colorado Springs to begin the season.

Murphy (forearm) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Sunday.

Murphy continues to work his way back from the hairline fracture of his right forearm he sustained in mid March. He'll likely share catching duties with Tony Wolters upon his return. He's aiming to come back sometime during April.