MLB Player News

Bethancourt (intercostals) threw a bullpen session Saturday, Jack Magruder of FanRag Sports reports.

Manager Andy Green is reportedly "intrigued" by Bethancourt's ability on the pitching mound, having seen him throw 96 mph without any work on his mechanics. A catcher by trade, Bethancourt's arm strength is unquestionably his strongest asset. He has hit just .223/.253/.318 in 153 games at the major league level, but it doesn't sound like the Padres are planning to have him focus exclusively on pitching -- they may instead try to develop him into a catcher/outfielder/pitcher hybrid player.

Realmuto is not in Saturday's lineup against the Nationals, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports.

Given how weak the catcher position is, Realmuto will easily finish the year as a top-10 option at the position. His .303 batting average was aided somewhat by a .357 BABIP (career .323 BABIP), but the 11 homers and 12 steals seem like reasonable benchmarks moving forward, as he won't turn 26 until March 18. Jeff Mathis will start behind the dish and hit eighth.

Rupp went 2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly in Friday's 5-1 loss to the Mets.

The 28-year-old backstop drove in the Phillies' only run of the night with a second-inning sacrifice fly that opened the scoring for both teams. Rupp has been swinging a hot bat over his last six games, with three multihit outings, a .320 average and five RBI over that span.

Grandal is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Giants.

Grandal will come off the bench for the second straight day with the Dodgers facing another left-hander. Carlos Ruiz will receive another start behind the plate Friday night.

Grandal is not listed in Thursday's starting lineup against the Padres, Eric Stephen of True Blue LA reports.

Carlos Ruiz is suiting up in his place as the talented young catcher is likely just receiving a break before the weekend series. Look for him again Friday.

Hedges is not in the starting lineup Thursday against the Dodgers.

The 24-year-old was called up last Wednesday and had started five of the six games for which he's been with the club. Tonight, he'll give way to Derek Norris, who's hitting sixth. Known primarily as a defense-first prospect before this year, Hedges enjoyed a smashing season at Triple-A El Paso (.326/.353/.597, with 21 home runs in 334 plate appearances). Catchers often take a bit longer to grow into their hitting tools as they progress through a system, and even during their big-league career. He can contribute some last-ditch counting stats if you're struggling at the end of this season. Hedges also now boasts an intriguing package that could vault him into the Pads' starting backstop role -- and starting consideration in two-catcher fantasy leagues -- out of the gate next season.

Realmuto is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Mets.

Jeff Mathis will take over behind the plate as Realmuto sits for the first time since Sept. 18. Realmuto's contact rate has dipped this year and that dip has not come with much of an uptick in power, but the 25-year-old has routinely found holes (.360 BABIP) and he runs more than any other player at the position. He's done enough across the board to be a top-5 catcher in terms of earned fantasy value this season.

Sanchez was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Sanchez's performance at the Triple-A level this season left much to be desired. Between Triple-A Buffalo and Sacramento, Sanchez posted a .201/.298/.317 line over 61 games and recorded a 21.6-percent strikeout rate.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in Saturday's 10-4 loss to the Cardinals.

The rookie backstop smacked a solo homer to left in the ninth with the Cubs on the wrong end of a 10-3 score. Contreras now has a five-game hitting streak, with a pair of solo homers over that span. His solid campaign includes a .270/.346/.473 line with 11 homers and 32 RBI.

Rupp is out of the lineup Saturday against the Mets.

He has continued to start five days a week since roster expansion, but will make way for Jorge Alfaro on Saturday.