MLB Player News

Sanchez (biceps) will begin his rehab assignment Monday, Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record reports.

Sanchez opened the season by playing just five games before being placed on the disabled list with a bicep strain. Over that brief span he went 3-for-20 (.150). To this point he's gradually increased his level of activity and recently began participating in batting practice. Although the team has yet to provide a specific timeframe for his return, it would seem that an early-May activation from the DL would be obtainable if his upcoming rehab assignment goes smoothly.

Barnes is in the Dodgers' Thursday lineup against the Giants, hitting sixth and playing catcher, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Barnes replaces Yasmani Grandal during the afternoon game against southpaw Matt Moore. He could be a sneaky daily fantasy play considering the platoon advantage.

Grandal is not in the Dodgers' Thursday lineup against the Giants, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Austin Barnes takes his place against southpaw Matt Moore. It's also probably a day off in the afternoon game for the starting backstop. Grandal should be back in action Friday.

Mesoraco (hip, shoulder) was activated from the 10-day disabled list Thursday.

The backstop may not play the workload of a starter, but even with his health issues, he still carries upside at the plate -- perhaps the pace of a 20-homer season the rest of the way. Mesoraco should eventually overtake Tucker Barnhart, as long as he's healthy, and deserves a pickup or activation in two-catcher mixed leagues. Strong progress could put him in the discussion to start in single-catcher games later in the season.

Sanchez (biceps) took normal batting practice in the cage and threw from 120 feet Wednesday, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports.

This represents two major steps in his rehab, after he was most recently hitting off a tee and had been throwing from 60 and 90 feet. Throwing from 120 feet was thought to be the biggest step for him to clear, so it will be interesting to see how his injury responds to the day's activities. He remains without a firm timetable for a rehab assignment.

Gomes is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Astros.

Gomes has turned things around at the plate as of late, batting .429 over the past week, but he'll get a night off nonetheless. Roberto Perez will fill in behind the dish for the evening.

Mesoraco (hip, shoulder) will be activated by the Reds on Friday, C. Trent Rosencrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Mesoraco completed his rehab assignment with Double-A Pensacola on Tuesday and it appears the long-awaited return is finally in sight. The 28-year-old hasn't played in a major-league game in over a year and hasn't made it through an entire season since 2014, so expectations should be greatly tempered regarding his durability. Additionally, the Reds will keep catchers Tucker Barnhart and Stuart Turner on the roster as Mesoraco eases back into action, meaning he won't be playing in an everyday capacity right away. The veteran catcher hit just .170/.291/.255 over 13 games with Pensacola.

Okey went 3-for-4 with a double Tuesday night at High-A Daytona, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Despite the big game Tuesday, he is hitting just .170/.254/.264 there.

We've often seen catchers slow to develop at the plate, but the second-round draft pick out of Clemson last year has shown some disturbing signs. He had a 29 percent strikeout rate at Low-A Dayton last year, and that rate is up to 35.6 percent this year with the level bump. While Okey isn't known as a high-ceiling offensive player, his defensive tools won't get him to the big leagues if he can't master the strike zone at lower levels of the minors.

Collins made a technical adjustment to reduce his throw time to second base and has thwarted 10 of 14 stolen base attempts this season, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

White Sox catching coordinator John Orton suggested a change in throwing mechanics which has resulted in an improvement in Collins' pop time. This is the kind of improvement the White Sox are looking for out of Collins, who was a 2016 first-round pick. The 22-year-old is just 2-for-29 at the plate over his last nine games, so he's got some work to do when it comes to hitting, as well.

McCann went 2-for-5 with a homer, a walk and four RBI in a 19-9 win against the Mariners on Tuesday.

The power's been flowing steadily for McCann -- this was his fifth homer already -- but he's still only hitting .178. He has only three non-homer hits, all singles, in 45 at-bats. However, McCann's batting eye has looked good (9:10 BB:K), and his BABIP luck has been as atrocious as that would imply. He should absolutely be owned in two-catcher leagues.