MLB Player News

Devin Mesoraco hasn't produced much as a major leaguer, but then again, the Reds haven't given him much of a chance to play. Now with Ryan Hanigan (oblique) on the 15-day disabled list, Mesoraco should see some regular starts, at least for awhile.

With an uptick in playing time, Mesoraco could easily be an upgrade in Fantasy over several catchers who are more widely owned, like Francisco Cervelli, Welington Castillo and Jason Castro. Don't expect Mesoraco to hit for average, but he could provide a boost to your lineup's power and run production.

Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco has seen a lot of time behind the plate recently, but will officially be in a full-time role for the next two weeks.

The Reds have placed Ryan Hanigan on the disabled list, allowing Mesoraco to receive the majority of the playing time with the club. Mesoraco is a former top prospect who hasn't seen a ton of chances in the majors yet. If he performs well over this stretch, it could lead to more consistent appearances once Hanigan returns. 

Yan Gomes received the start behind the plate for the Indians in Sunday's series finale against the Astros and had a productive day at the plate. He went 2 for 4 with a home run in the 5-4 win.

Gomes launched a solo shot off starter Erik Bedard in his first at-bat before leading off the fourth inning with a triple.

The 25-year-old is batting .211 with two homers and three RBI through 19 at-bats.

Yankees catcher Chris Stewart had a fine game Sunday despite New York taking a loss at Toronto. Stewart homered and threw out a base runner trying to steal second. 

Batting ninth, Stewart went 2 for 3 and homered in the third inning for a solo shot, his first of the year. He added a single and scored twice in the game. 

Stewart has played in six games thus far and has gone 6 for 17 (.353) with an RBI and a stolen base. 

Ryan Hanigan going on the disabled list means good news -- at least in the short-term -- for Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco, who should inherit most of the playing time in Hanigan's absence. Though, Reds manager Dusty Baker still seems to have some problems with Mesoraco's defensive game.

"Mesoraco is catching better and hitting better," Baker said, per MLB.com. "He just has to control the running game. It’s hard to control the running game like Hanigan controlled it."

Corky Miller was brought up to take Hanigan's roster spot, so it's not like Mesoraco's competition is a top prospect or a crafty veteran. This seems like a good time for Cincinnati to lean on Mesoraco and let him learn trial by fire. 

Fantasy owners in need of catcher help can certainly look to Mesoraco in the short-term. He is improving offensively. He's hitting .273 with a .414 on-base percentage and .823 OPS in seven games after a productive spring, which he hit .326 with a .535 slugging percentage and .955 OPS in 23 games.

Royals catcher Salvador Perez's season has not gone as well as we hoped so far, and our Scott White does not think things will get much better in Week 4 (April 22-28).

Perez is batting .258 through his first 15 games, and the 22-year-old is waiting on his first home run after hitting 11 in 76 games a year ago. He has struck out 12 times and walked once in 62 at-bats and has a tough schedule ahead of him in Week 4. Perez will face the Tigers and Indians, who are scheduled to throw six right-handed pitchers in a row at him. Perez's career OPS is .716 against righties, so this is not the week to expect him to turn it around.

We still like Perez's potential after how well he played in 2011 and 2012, but he is a shaky start right now. 

Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco has played seven games and reached base safely in each after Saturday's 3-2 extra-innings win over the Marlins. He had two singles and a walk to give him a line of .273/.414/.409 in 29 plate appearances and could see extra playing time with Ryan Hanigan dealing with a thumb injury.

Mets prospect Travis d'Arnaud will not require surgery on a broken bone in his foot, but he is still expected to miss up to eight weeks while recovering. The team's top return in the R.A. Dickey trade this offseason appears to have avoided a worst-case scenario, after fracturing the first metatarsal in his left foot after being hit by a foul ball.

"Anytime they say it's six-to-eight weeks, it could be sooner," manager Terry Collins told the New York Post. "It could be four; but even if it is, he’s not going to play for another two or three weeks, so I just said eight."

d'Arnaud entered the season as the No. 23 prospect in baseball according to Baseball America, and he was putting up a .901 on-base plus slugging percentage at Triple-A Las Vegas.

Travis d'Arnaud will miss eight weeks with a broken foot but will avoid surgery, manager Terry Collins told ESPN New York's Adam Rubin.

The Mets set a soft 4-8 week timetable before getting an opinion from their team doctor. Unfortunately for d'Arnaud, he'll be at the long end of that timetable. The top prospect was hitting .250/.427/.492 with five doubles and a home run in 12 games for Triple-A Las Vegas. 

Mets catcher prospect Travis d'Arnaud will probably be out 4-8 weeks before he can resume baseball activities, a source told the New York Post. But the team doctors want to evaluate d'Arnaud before setting a timetable. 

d'Arnaud has a non-displaced fracture of the first metatarsal in his left foot and has been placed in a walking boot. d'Arnaud suffered the injury after taking a foul ball off his left foot Wednesday for Triple-A Las Vegas.