MLB Player News

Mejia has been diagnosed with a right foot contusion, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Mejia suffered the injury after being hit by a pitch on his foot during Tuesday's Cactus League game. The good news is manager Terry Francona said the backstop is fine, noting his removal from the contest was simply precautionary. While the Indians could play it safe with the 22-year-old and hold him out of spring action for a little, the issue doesn't sound like anything that will affect his status for the start of the season. The highly-regarded prospect is set to open the season with Triple-A Columbus, though he could earn a promotion to the majors if Yan Gomes or Roberto Perez were to go down with an injury.

Mejia was removed from Tuesday's Cactus League game after being hit by a pitch on his foot, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

It's possible his removal was simply precautionary, as Mejia was able to walk off under his own power after briefly being checked on by manager Terry Francona and a member of the team's medical staff. More specifics regarding the injury should come forth once he's further evaluated, but consider the highly-touted prospect day-to-day for the time being.

Barnes (elbow) is in the lineup as a catcher for Tuesday's game against the Cubs, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Barnes has appeared in three games this spring, all as a designated hitter. He's been battling a minor elbow injury since the start of spring, but since he's back catching more than three weeks before Opening Day, he should be fine by the start of the regular season. He's expected to back up Yasmani Grandal this season.

Martinez was moved to minor-league camp Sunday.

Although Martinez played one game at both Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis, the majority of his 2017 season was spent at High-A Palm Beach. He had a tough time being productive on offense, as he hit .189/.273/.204 over 60 games with Palm Beach.

Mesoraco is 4-for-11 with two doubles in his first six games of spring training and hasn't been hurt so far, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports. "He looks as healthy as I can remember, going back to 2014," Price said. "He just looks normal. There's no concern about his hip labrum or the shoulder issue that he had. I think more than anything, I feel good about where he is physically because I think he can be very productive if he can stay on the field and remain healthy."

The Reds have made it clear that Tucker Barnhart is the starter over Mesoraco, but if he can somehow recapture his 2014 form, the latter could easily turn that into at least an even timeshare.

Barnes (elbow) is scheduled to catch Tuesday's game, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Manager Dave Roberts had previously been vague about the status of Barnes, but now he has a firm date in sight. Barnes has seen plenty of reps as a designated hitter, but a return to backstop will mark a milestone in his recovery. Despite the step in the right direction, Barnes remains projected to be the short side of the LA catching platoon.

Thaiss came off the bench and went 2-for-2 with a solo home run in Saturday's spring training loss to the Mariners.

The Angels' first base prospect has hit the ground running this spring, batting .313 (5-for-16) with a pair of homers and four RBI. He has a tough road to breaking camp on the 25-man roster as the club will likely want its backup first baseman to be right-handed in order to platoon with Luis Valbuena. That said, if the 22-year-old can continue to prove that he has developed the power to complement his solid discipline at the plate (77 walks in 606 plate appearances across two levels last season), he could force manager Mike Scioscia to make a tough decision come Opening Day.

Garver (knee) may not return to action until Tuesday, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Garver tweaked his knee in Wednesday's game against the Astros. The injury is reportedly minor and an MRI revealed no structural damage. He had hoped to return to game action this weekend, but that appears likely to be delayed by a few days. Still, he should have plenty of time to get up to speed by Opening Day and should be ready to serve as the Twins' backup catcher.

Hedges went 2-for-3 with his fourth home run in as many games this spring training.

AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reported that Hedges entered camp with a modified swing, and that change is apparently paying off in spades for the Padres' backstop. As with most spring training results, we have to take them in with a grain of salt when you consider some of the inferior competition these proven major leaguers are going up against. That said, those with stock in the 25-year-old can't help but get excited with these early developments, especially after he broke out with 18 home runs in just 387 at-bats last season.

Barnes (elbow) will catch his first game "shortly," according to manager Dave Roberts, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

He has been in the lineup lately as the designated hitter as he recovers from elbow discomfort, but it sounds like he could get the nod behind the dish at some point in the coming days. Yasmani Grandal, who is expected to open the year on the strong side of a platoon, is 0-for-12 at the plate thus far in spring training. Barnes has gone from being overrated in November and December to perhaps being a bit undervalued currently in drafts. He won't carry fantasy rosters in any one category, but is also unlikely to do any damage in batting average, which is a rarity among catchers.