MLB Player News

Pentecost (shoulder) was activated from the disabled list Thursday and was sent to Class-A Lansing.

The road to recovery was long, but it seems that the former first-round draft pick is back to full health and ready for regular game action. As long as he remains healthy, Pentecost could still prove why he is regarded as a valuable catching prospect in the Blue Jays organization.

Barnhart had a double and a triple in Wednesday's loss to the Pirates, raising his line to .279/.329/.426 over 68 at-bats.

With Devin Mesoraco out for the season, Barnhart will be the Reds' primary catcher, with little in the organization on the way to unseat him. He slugged just .326 last year, with only 12 extra-base hits in 242 at-bats. He now has seven extra-base hits already this year.

Grandal went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Mets.

The homer, Grandal's second of the season, put the Dodgers up temporarily against flamethrower Noah Syndergaard. He's been slumping to begin May, but Grandal is still batting .250 with a .355 OBP, as he's been able to maintain a walk rate right around 15 percent. It would be nice to see Grandal loft the ball more consistently, but the power upside is still there, and that's not easy to find at the catcher position.

Bethancourt went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, accounting for the only run in the nightcap of Wednesday's doubleheader sweep against the Cubs.

The 24-year-old catcher has now slugged homers in three of his last four starts, and with Derek Norris hitting .187 (though he did have three hits in the afternoon game Wednesday), it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see Bethancourt start picking up some more action behind the plate. It's worth remembering that he was considered a top-100 prospect with the Braves as recently as last preseason and looked like he made major strides with the bat in Triple-A last year. That's not to say he's a star in the making, but there's seemingly some help to be found here for owners in two-catcher leagues.

Perez hit his fifth homer of the season -- a three-run shot -- in the first inning of Wednesday's 7-3 victory over the Yankees.

The catcher is struggling with a .234 batting average, but the five home runs and 18 RBI are nice. He was struggling earlier, but now has a four-game hit streak after going 1-16 in the last five games. The Royals are not afraid to use Perez, so he'll get plenty of chances to produce this season.

Sanchez was claimed by the Padres off of Waivers on Wednesday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez was designated for assignment by the White Sox on Monday, and the Padres decided to claim him off waivers. He will serve as a reserve catcher behind starter Derek Norris.

Plawecki is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.

Plawecki has gotten a hit in five straight starts, but the Mets seem content to give him a day off to rest. Rene Rivera will slot in behind the dish Wednesday.

Vazquez is batting eighth and starting behind the plate Wednesday against the A's, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

Coming off Tommy John surgery, Vazquez continues to get regularly scheduled days off. Vazquez's bat still hasn't come around, as he's hitting just .208 with one home run, but is the preferred option over Ryan Hanigan due to his defensive prowess.

Stassi will start at catcher and bat eighth in Wednesday's series finale against Cleveland.

Recalled to the majors Tuesday, Stassi will get his first start behind the plate for the Astros this season. Erik Kratz will take a seat on the bench while starter Jason Castro (paternity) remains away from the team.

Perez is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Cardinals.

Perez has been rotating behind the plate with Geovany Soto, and the trend will continue again Tuesday. Perez is hitting just .159 on the season, so if the struggles continue, Soto could be in line to take over more regular starts.