MLB Player News

Realmuto is out of the lineup Saturday against the Phillies.

He has started six games in a row, so Realmuto was due for a day off. Jeff Mathis will start at catcher and hit eighth Saturday.

Maldonado is out of the starting lineup for Saturday's tilt with the Reds, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Maldonado got the start behind the plate for the Brewers on Friday night, as they opted to give Jonathan Lucroy the night off. He went 0-for-1 on the night, but reached base three times (two walks and a hit-by-pitch).

Mesoraco (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day DL on Saturday.

Mesoraco will undergo shoulder surgery next week to repair a torn labrum and it's possible he could miss the remainder of the season. With the recovery process expected to span roughly four months, at the minimum, the Reds will shift Mesoraco to the 60-day DL to free up a 40-man roster spot.

Rupp entered Friday leading all hitters with the highest average exit velocity (97.5 mph) on batted balls in play this season, Glenn Sattell of MLB.com reports.

Giancarlo Stanton led the league with a 98.5-mph average last season, putting Rupp in good company. Exit velocity alone does not mean Rupp is in Stanton's stratosphere as a player, but it is a positive attribute in his skill set. Other factors, such as launch angle, play an important role in batted-ball outcomes. According to Rob Arthur of FiveThirtyEight, the best hitters have exit velocities above 90 mph and launch angles around 25 degrees. Rupp is averaging around 10 degrees with his launch angle this season.

Plawecki will play a reserve role in Friday's matchup with the Padres.

Plawecki, who has been handling catching duties behind the plate while Travis d'Arnaud is on the DL, will sit out Friday's series opener in San Diego. He will be replaced by Rene Rivera in the lineup. The Mets will be facing a right-hander, so this move is not all that surprising. Look for Plawecki to return to his catching role Saturday.

Mesoraco (shoulder) will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder and could miss the rest of the season.

This does not bode well for Mesoraco, as was told that the recovery process for this surgery takes at least four months, meaning that his season could be over depending on how long his recovery takes. That being said, there's a small chance that he could return in mid- to late-September if he recovers very quickly, but the Reds will probably err on the side of caution so that he can be healthy for 2017 rather than rush him back to action and cause further damage. This is really unfortunate for the 27-year-old and the Reds, but they'll have to keep chugging along using Tucker Barnhart as their primary catcher.

Casali has notched an extra-base hit 62 percent of the time that he's hit safely since last June, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The young backstop is only tallying a .202 average over 228 career at-bats over parts of three seasons, but has made solid contact on an overwhelming majority of the hits he's managed since a June 2015 call-up. Casali has managed to hit for extra bases on 21 of the 34 instances in which he's avoided an out since that point, a span that includes as many homers (13) as singles. However, consistency in getting on base remains an area with plenty of room for improvement, as the 27-year-old readily admits. "Believe me, I'd like to be more consistent at the plate, maybe throw in a single instead of a strikeout or a pop fly," Casali said. "I want to be more consistent.

Perez (thumb) underwent surgery on his fractured thumb Friday and is expected to miss 8-12 weeks, Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com reports.

A thumb injury is never a good thing for a catcher, and it appears that the surgery was major enough that it will keep Perez out for a significant chunk of the season. This timetable has him in line to rejoin the Indians at some point in July, but this could change depending on how his rehab process goes.

Lavisky was placed on the disabled list Friday with a right ankle sprain.

Lavisky had just gotten back into action after missing the month of April due to another ankle sprain, but he'll head back to the DL after re-aggravating the ailment. He wasn't getting much playing time behind Anthony Recker while he was healthy, and the injury will only inhibit him further from getting a shot behind the plate for the Clippers.

Stewart has started five of Pittsburgh's first 28 games, hitting .208 in 24 at-bats.

The catcher hit .289 and .294, respectively, in limited play for the Pirates his first two seasons, so there's reason to hope for improvement. Staff ace Gerrit Cole threw his best start with Stewart behind the plate and the two have a strong history working together -- that could mean he makes occasional starts as the team tries to find Cole's groove.