MLB Player News

The Pirates have activated Chris Stewart off the disabled list and optioned fellow catcher Tony Sanchez back to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Stewart has missed the entire regular season after undergoing knee surgery in March.

Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco entered play Wednesday vs. Pittsburgh leading the team in doubles (three) and RBI (nine) despite missing the first week of the season due to an oblique strain. He also entered Wednesday batting .500 (11 for 22) with three home runs.

"He's just kept it going really nicely," Reds manager Bryan Price said, per MLB.com. "I think the fact that he knows he's our No. 1 guy, there's a lot more responsibility there for him. He knows he's going to play. If he goes 0 for 4, he'll be back in there the next day. That certainly lends to some confidence."

Mesoraco seemed to agree with his manager's assessment.

"It's just an overall comfort level that's the biggest thing," Mesoraco said Wednesday. "I'm comfortable with being the everyday guy. I'm comfortable with Bryan as the manager. I'm comfortable with being in the clubhouse and being around the guys. That's been the biggest thing."

Pirates catcher Chris Stewart (knee) will catch Jeff Locke's start for Triple-A Indianapolis Wednesday, but manager Clint Hurdle said a "plan is in place" for him to rejoin the major-league roster, per MLB.com.

"There's a couple of steps we still need to accomplish to get him ready to return," Hurdle said.

Devin Mesoraco has been off the DL all of six games and has already hit three home runs. He also has three doubles, going 8 for 17 overall.

Boy, Dusty Baker really blew it on that one, didn't he?

I say that because I feel like we should already be well acquainted with this version of Mesoraco. He was the big catcher prospect two years ago, ranking 16th among all prospects according to Baseball America, but Baker chose to leave him on the bench, preferring Ryan Hanigan's defense.

But Baker is gone now. So is Hanigan, for that matter, which means Mesoraco finally has a chance to apply his potential. And the early returns are breathtaking.

It's early, yes, and if he goes hitless in his next 10 at-bats, this post will seem horribly misguided, but seeing how quickly he's taken to an everyday role and knowing his potential, I don't think it's too far-fetched to think he could be a must-start catcher by season's end.

I've already bumped him up to 15th in my catcher rankings, and the margin between him and the four ahead of him is thin.

Nationals catcher Sandy Leon went 2 for 5 with his first home run of the season and two RBI in his team's 9-2 win over the Marlins Monday.

Leon opened the season 0 for 11 in his first three games before getting his first hit Saturday. He then stepped things up Monday, connecting on a two-run home run in the seventh inning. Leon should continue to see extended action with Wilson Ramos sidelined.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said Monday the team is considering having catcher Chris Stewart (knee) finish his rehab with the major-league club, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"[Stewart's] in a good place," Hurdle said. "He said he felt good (Monday) and after catching seven innings and nine innings, that’s a good sign."

Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco belted his second home run Sunday against the Rays.

Mesoraco took an 87 mph slider from Brandon Gomes out to left for a two-run shot. Mesoraco also walked, singled and hit a sacrifice fly during the game. He finished 2 for 3, with one run scored and four RBI. 

In four games, Mesoraco is hitting .500 thus far. 

Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud continued to emerge from his early-season slumber Friday night with a solo home run in the eighth inning of an extra-inning defeat to the Angels.

It was his only hit of the game, but his first blast of the year made him 4 for 15 after he had been hitless in his first 16 at-bats this season. He still has plenty of work to do to raise his .129 batting average to a respectable level.

Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Rays.

Mesoraco has caught every inning of three straight games in a four-day span since returning from an oblique injury, so he'll get a day of rest Saturday, with Brayan Pena catching and batting seventh. Mesoraco has performed well since returning from the disabled list, going 5 for 11 with three doubles, one home run and two RBI.

The Pirates want catcher Chris Stewart to continue his minor-league rehab assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he was moved Friday, according to MLB.com.

The team wants Stewart to catch some full games as well as back-to-back games before considering bringing him back from the disabled list. The team does not have a specific timetable for Stewart to get back from the DL, as he continues to recover from offseason knee surgery.