MLB Player News

Manager Mickey Callaway said Mesoraco (neck) will start Friday against the Nationals, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Mesoraco hasn't played since Sept. 3 due to neck discomfort. Prior to suffering the injury, the backstop hit .213/.295/.374 with 10 homers through 80 games with the Reds and Mets. He'll look to finish the season on a high note now that he's back to full health.

Hedges is not in the lineup against the Giants on Wednesday.

Hedges will receive a breather after starting the past two games. In his place, Francisco Mejia will catch Robbie Erlin and bat second.

Plawecki is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest against Philadelphia.

Plawecki will receive a standard day off after starting three of the past four games behind the plate. Tomas Nido will catch Noah Syndergaard and bat eighth during the series finale.

Grandal is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Rockies.

The backstop will head to the bench against southpaw Kyle Freeland after starting the last four games behind the dish, going just 1-for-13 with a 4:4 K:BB in those starts. With Grandal on the bench, Austin Barnes will start at catcher and hit eighth.

Hedges went 1-for-4 with his 14th home run of the season in Monday's 4-2 loss to San Francisco.

Hedges returned to the starting lineup after giving way to Francisco Mejia on Sunday. Both backstops have homered three times apiece while alternating starts in September. The competition has elevated their play and made both catchers worthy of fantasy consideration even in a timeshare.

Stallings went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in Monday's win over the Royals.

Stallings singled to left in the bottom of the ninth inning to plate the winning run. With Francisco Cervelli (illness) and Elias Diaz (hamstring) out for the time being, Stallings made the most of his at-bats, posting his first multi-hit game of the year. He's gone 8-for-32 with five RBI and two walks in 12 games at the big-league level in 2018.

Plawecki is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Phillies.

Plawecki and Tomas Nido have each started five of the Reds' last 10 games. Nido will get the call on this occasion.

Barnhart is not starting Monday against Milwaukee.

Barnhart has started 10 of 16 games behind the plate in September. Curt Casali will get the call for Monday's game.

Mejia went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Rangers.

Mejia's first career grand slam capped off a five-run ninth inning that sent the fans in San Diego home happy. The 22-year-old has provided some thump since joining the majors this month, slashing .259/.333/.630 in 29 plate appearances. Manager Andy Green has stayed true to his word, splitting playing time between Mejia and Austin Hedges evenly. It will be interesting to see how the Padres' catching situation unfolds next season, as Mejia possesses tremendous offensive upside at the shallow position.

Hedges is not in the lineup Sunday against the Rangers.

Hedges and top catching prospect Francisco Mejia have been sharing catching duties pretty evenly over the past couple weeks, and on Sunday, Hedges will watch from the bench. Hedges has been hot as of late, though, producing a .987 OPS over the past 14 games.