MLB Player News

Braves catcher Christian Bethancourt hadn't hit a home run in 201 major league at-bats. On at-bat No. 202, Bethancourt hit a walk-off home run to beat the Pirates 5-4 on Saturday.

Bethancourt went 3 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored. The performance brought his batting average to .205 on the season.

"I've been feeling more confidence," said Bethancourt, per MLB.com. "I've been working in the cage with the hitting coach and during [batting practice]. You know, trying to get back on track and finally it seems like it's showing up. So I'm happy with it."

Injured Mets Travis d'Arnaud and Dilson Herrera played full games at Class A St. Lucie on Saturday, taking another step in their rehab, per ESPN.com. 

d'Arnaud was 3-for-4 with an RBI as the catcher attempts to recover from a pinky injury and bone bruise. He caught the entire contest. 

Herrera has been on the disabled list since mid-May while recovering from a broken right middle finger. He was 1-for-4 on the night and also played the entire game at second base.

Both players are expected to move their rehab assignments to Triple-A Las Vegas and could be activated as early as Tuesday, according to ESPN.com.

For the second time in three games, Anthony Recker will replace Kevin Plawecki in the Mets' starting lineup at catcher. 

Recker will get his 14th start on Friday night and bat eighth in the lineup. While Plawecki has 30 starts behind the plate, the two catchers have split the last six games. 

Plawecki is out of Friday's lineup because he's suffering from vertigo-like symptoms, ESPN reported. He had a similar problem last year at Triple-A Las Vegas. 

Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud went 1 for 2 with a walk and caught five innings in his rehab debut with high Class A St. Lucie on Thursday.

Both d'Arnaud and second baseman Dilson Herrera were replaced in the bottom of the sixth after getting at-bats in the top half of the inning. d'Arnaud hit the disabled list in mid-April with a fractured finger then suffered a setback in his first attempt at a rehab assignment in late May when he suffered a bone bruise in his wrist. He has hit .317/.356/.537 with two homers and 10 RBI in 41 at-bats.

The Dodgers moved catcher Yasmani Grandal into the No. 2 hole for Thursday's game against the Cardinals, the team announced.

It is the third time Grandal will bat second in a game this season. He will face Michael Wacha, who he is 1 for 2 against in his career. Since returning from the disabled list, Grandal is hitting .313 with one home run and three RBI in his last six games.

The Dodgers are the favorites (-108) over the Cardinals on Thursday.

Reds manager Bryan Price told reporters that he'll start working injured catcher Devin Mesoraco in left field to see if he can stay play this season, per the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Mesoraco has seen a hip specialist in New York, and the team remains confident he'll be ready for 2016, even if he plays through 2015 and has surgery in the offseason. Price added that he anticipates Mesoraco catching for the Reds in 2016, per MLB.com.

"We're going to continue to prepare him to hit and potentially work with him in the outfield a little bit and see if that's an option moving forward, to see if we can extract some value from him before we write off his season," Price said. "If he can't catch and he can only be a pinch-hitter, his value is so limited that it wouldn't make sense to take up that roster spot if that's all he can do. If he can play the outfield a bit capably, it's a way to get him in the lineup every now and again and let his bat do some influence for our club."

Mesoraco was placed on the disabled list on May 25, after trying to play through a left hip impingement through the early portion of the season. He was limited to only 45 at-bats, and held a slash line of .178/.275/.244 at the time he landed on the shelf.

"I also don't know how quickly we'll be able to assess if this is reasonable to do with Devin," Price said. "What we're doing is looking at it. We're not committing to the fact he's going to be a left fielder. But we're going to look at it before we start talking about 2016 for Devin. We'd like to keep 2015 on the table as an option."

Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud and second baseman Dilson Herrera have been slated for Class A games with St. Lucie, according to ESPN New York. 

Herrera was placed on the disabled list on with an injury to his middle finger. D'Arnaud was moved to the DL after suffering an injury to his pinky, though he then experienced a setback by suffering a bone bruise to his hand. 

The two teammates are scheduled to play together on Thursday. 

Pirates catcher Chris Stewart went 3 for 4 with three doubles in his team's 4-3 win over the Giants on Monday.

It was the 12th start of the season for Stewart, who doubled his extra-base total on the season in a single game. He has hit .296/.304/.407 with six RBI in 54 at-bats.

Diamondbacks catcher Tuffy Gosewisch has been diagnosed with a fully torn ACL, the club announced early Tuesday morning. 

Gosewisch's injury was initially considered a jammed knee before an MRI revealed a tear. He will need to have surgery to repair the damage to the ligament. 

This injury will end Gosewisch's season. He finishes the year with a slash line of .211/.261/.281. 

Mets manager Terry Collins said he is hopeful that catcher Travis d'Arnaud will be able to re-start his minor-league rehab assignment this week, according to ESPN New York. 

D'Arnaud, recovering from a fractured pinky recently had a setback when he sustained a separate hand injury.