MLB Player News

Mesoraco (shoulder) will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder and could miss the rest of the season.

This does not bode well for Mesoraco, as was told that the recovery process for this surgery takes at least four months, meaning that his season could be over depending on how long his recovery takes. That being said, there's a small chance that he could return in mid- to late-September if he recovers very quickly, but the Reds will probably err on the side of caution so that he can be healthy for 2017 rather than rush him back to action and cause further damage. This is really unfortunate for the 27-year-old and the Reds, but they'll have to keep chugging along using Tucker Barnhart as their primary catcher.

Stewart has started five of Pittsburgh's first 28 games, hitting .208 in 24 at-bats.

The catcher hit .289 and .294, respectively, in limited play for the Pirates his first two seasons, so there's reason to hope for improvement. Staff ace Gerrit Cole threw his best start with Stewart behind the plate and the two have a strong history working together -- that could mean he makes occasional starts as the team tries to find Cole's groove.

D'Arnaud (shoulder) began hitting Thursday but hasn't resumed throwing yet, Maria Guardado of the Star-Ledger reports.

This is good to see some progress in his rehab process, but until d'Arnaud begins throwing again, it'll be quite some time before he can return to the Mets lineup. A timetable for his return should become clearer once he can begin a throwing program.

Making a second straight start out of the leadoff spot, Realmuto went 3-for-4 with one run scored in Wednesday's win over the Diamondbacks.

The Marlins' are apparently willing to look just about anywhere to replace Dee Gordon's presence atop the lineup while the speedy second baseman is suspended and Realmuto has earned the chance to prove himself in back-to-back starts. The catcher is working a strong .329/.341/.482 slash line following Wednesday's three-hit effort and is back at the top of the order for Thursday's series finale.

Murphy (oblique) is playing games at extended spring training and could rejoin the Triple-A squad soon, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Murphy hasn't been able to appear in a game yet with Triple-A Albuquerque due to the oblique strain, but it appears that he's progressed very well through the rehab process. Unfortunately, he may be locked in the minors for the time being despite his upper-prospect status due to the success of major league backup catcher Tony Wolters.

Realmuto went 1-for-4 with an RBI and run in Tuesday's win against the Diamondbacks.

Realmuto batted leadoff for the first time in his career, filling in for the suspended Dee Gordon. Manager Don Mattingly's lineup experiment paid off when the catcher doubled and scored in the first inning. Realmuto is batting .485 during an eight-game hitting streak. With most catchers these days hitting at the bottom of lineups and being limited in at-bats, Realmuto's value should skyrocket if he captures the leadoff role for good.

Diaz (elbow) underwent elbow debridement surgery this week and is expected to miss seven-to-nine weeks, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The young catching prospect has been battling elbow issues since late in spring training, and while it looked for a while like he might have been able to avoid surgery with just rest and rehab, the Pirates opted to go the surgical route this week. Fortunately, the procedure he underwent was a debridement rather than Tommy John, so the club is optimistic that Diaz will be able to return in early July.

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

Plawecki will be held out in favor of Rene Rivera with the Mets playing a day game following a night game. A day off could do Plawecki some good, as he tallied only three hits over his last six starts and is hitting just .176 on the season.

Barnhart is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants, Jamie Ramsey of the Reds' front office reports.

Barnhart started the last five games behind the plate, but he will get the day off Wednesday with the Reds and Giants playing a day game following a night game. Ramon Cabrera will get the start Wednesday in Barnhart's place.

Rupp said work he did on his swing path this offseason has been paying off for him at the plate, Joe Harris of MLB.com reports.

Rupp said he made an alteration to his swing, "working more down towards the ball." He is hitting .250/.274/.417 with a home run in 60 at-bats while splitting time behind the plate with Carlos Ruiz. He has benefited from a .359 BABIP thus far and his strikeout rate has jumped nearly 10 points compared to last season, so Rupp's average may be headed downward despite the improvements to his swing.