MLB Player News

Perez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's win over the Diamondbacks.

Perez has flashed some pop this spring, watching three of his seven hits leave spring training facilities. Unfortunately, those seven hits have come in 37 at-bats, resulting in a .189 batting average. Earlier in the spring, manager Mike Scioscia said that a timeshare is possible behind the dish this season between Perez and Martin Maldonado, and that seems to remain the case as we inch closer to Opening Day.

Reds manager Bryan Price said Sunday that Mesoraco (hip, shoulder) is "very unlikely" to be ready for Opening Day, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Mesoraco hasn't experienced any setbacks on the health front after requiring surgeries the last two seasons on both hips and his shoulder, but the lack of at-bats he's received in spring training hasn't adequately prepared him to be available on a regular basis. It's expected that the 28-year-old will remain in extended spring training when the season begins in order to get more games under his belt, and if all goes well, Mesoraco could be activated by April. It's expected that Mesoraco will eventually displace Tucker Barnhart as the Reds' primary catcher, though the two backstops could share duties at the position in the early going.

Rupp went 0-for-3 and left four runners on base in Saturday's 3-3 tie with the Red Sox.

It was a tough game for Rupp, who has just five hits in 31 at-bats this spring. Despite the slow start, Rupp is at no risk of losing his job to anyone. However, he will need to produce during the regular season to hold off top prospect Jorge Alfaro -- who's waiting for his opportunity in the majors at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Perez went 0-for-3 in Friday's Cactus League game, his first game action since March 6.

Perez has been hampered by knee inflammation and a hyperextended left elbow, but it appears all systems are go at this point. The Royals will likely give him plenty of at-bats within the coming week as he prepares for Opening Day. Perez is aiming to earn a fifth consecutive All-Star nod after slamming a career-high 22 home runs over 139 games last season.

An MRI came back clean for Stewart (groin) and he doesn't expect to miss too much time. "I'm optimistic for Opening Day," Stewart told DK Pittsburgh Sports.

The catcher has appeared in only six Grapefruit League games, but has looked rejuvenated behind the plate. Elias Diaz would likely serve as Francisco Cervelli's backup if Stewart is forced to miss any April action.

Hernandez (hamstring) is aiming to return to action in a minor league game Monday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Hernandez has put together a strong spring in a small sample, slashing .294/.368/.647 with two home runs and five RBI over 17 at-bats. He has been bothered by a hamstring issue of late, however. Even with Hernandez's solid showing thus far this spring, Jeff Mathis and Chris Iannetta look to be the primary considerations at catcher for the Opening Day roster.

D'Arnaud was 0-for-4 in throwing out basestealers Friday with Noah Syndergaard on the mound, even failing to gun down Jake Marisnick on a pitchout, and as a result Rene Rivera will be Syndergaard's personal catcher to begin the season, John Harper of the New York Daily News reports.

The Mets were hoping the addition of catching coach Glenn Sherlock to the staff would help d'Arnaud improve his throwing, but that hasn't been the case this spring as the 28-year-old is 0-for-12 in nailing would-be thieves. Better results at the plate should at least allow d'Arnaud to remain in a starting role, and to his credit he is hitting .325/.413/.550 through 40 spring at-bats, but if his hitting doesn't rebound significantly from last season's .630 OPS, he could once again find himself on the bench behind Rivera more often than not.

Stewart was scratched from Friday's Grapefruit League lineup with left groin discomfort, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Stewart has already missed a good portion of the spring while recovering from knee surgery, so hopefully this isn't anything too serious. The veteran catcher is slashing just .231/.333/.308 through six games as he prepares for a backup role behind Francisco Cervelli. Consider him day-to-day for now.

Thole (hamstring) was reassigned to minor league camp Friday.

The backstop already wasn't expected to play in the majors this year due to recently suffering a significant hamstring tear. If a second opinion upholds that dire prognosis, this procedural move may be only the first step to shutting Thole down completely.

Manager John Farrell said Leon remains the starting catcher heading into the regular season, Rob Bradford of WEEI reports.

Leon has turned things around a bit after a recent slump and is 6-for-23 this spring, though that comes with an underwhelming .553 OPS, without an extra-base hit. Still, Farrell likes what Leon brings with his overall game, and, for as questionable as its sustainability for 2017 may be, the 28-year-old hit .310/.369/.476 with seven home runs in 283 plate appearances last year. Fantasy players in two-catcher mixed leagues could do worse when scouring for a late-round, No. 2 receiver.