MLB Player News

Stephenson (wrist) will start 2017 at Low-A Dayton after missing a good chunk of the 2016 season.

The Reds' first-round pick in 2015, Stephenson's development was halted in its tracks last year. He played only 39 games for Dayton, hitting a paltry .216/.278/.324 there. The team doesn't have much organizational strength at the catcher spot in the minors, so if he catches fire at Dayton the Reds could move him up to High-A Daytona fairly aggressively.

Contreras will bat fifth and play catcher against the Cardinals on Tuesday.

After a strong Opening Day performance, Contreras will slide from seventh in the order to fifth during game two. The 24-year-old went 2-for-4 and launched a game-tying three-run homer in the ninth inning Sunday, and he should get more opportunities with runners on base at his new spot in the order.

Realmuto went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Monday's 4-2 loss to the Nationals.

He hit second in the order for the Marlins between Dee Gordon and Christian Yelich, a spot that should allow Realmuto to potentially top last season's 60 runs and 48 RBI (both career highs) if he's able to hang onto it. The 26-year-old is quietly moving into the upper tier of fantasy catchers given his potential for five-category contributions.

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."

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.

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.