MLB Player News

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.

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.

Mesoraco (shoulder) underwent surgery Tuesday and manager Bryan Price said that the damage was worse than initially thought, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. He's expected to miss six months.

This is disheartening news for the promising young catcher as Tuesday's announcement from Price suggests that Mesoraco will have his season cut short for a second straight year. Mesoraco had surgery Tuesday to repair the torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, and Price told reporters that his timetable to return has been pushed back to a six-month window, which would end his season if he follows on that timeline. Tucker Barnhart and Jordan Pacheco figure to handle most of the catching duties for the remainder of the season with Mesoraco sidelined.

Rupp is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Braves, Meghan Montemurro of The News Journal reports.

Manager Pete Mackanin was considering giving Carlos Ruiz more starts, and this appears to be the beginning of that trend. Rupp is hitting .250 through 19 games but owns an abysmal 31.1 percent strikeout rate.

Plawecki hit his first home run, a solo blast, in Monday's win over the Dodgers.

Plawecki has started three consecutive games now and is making the most of it. He has gone 4-11 with four extra-base hits (three doubles and a homer) in those three starts and raised his batting line from .189/.189/.333 to .229/.351/.354. He won't be taking the job from Travis d'Arnaud in the long term, but his discipline and power combination make him a tolerable replacement while the Mets wait for their starter to return from a rotator cuff injury.

After an examination with team doctor David Altchek, d'Arnaud's diagnosis remains a rotator cuff strain, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports. "It's just going to take more time...Clearly he's not ready yet," said assistant GM John Ricco on Monday.

Altchek doesn't believe that d'Arnaud requires surgery and has prescribed rest, but the catcher will receive a PRP injection in the near future. In the meantime, d'Arnaud has been shut down from hitting, which effectively puts him in a holding pattern for the foreseeable future.

Grandal is not in the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.

A.J. Ellis will get the nod behind the plate Monday as the Dodgers take on Mets lefty Steven Matz.

Bethancourt went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Mets.

Bethancourt came into the day with only two extra-base hits on the season, but doubled that total Sunday, contributing a double and a homer. He's still a defense-first catcher, however, and figures to see only limited at-bats behind regular starter Derek Norris.