MLB Player News

Grandal is not in the starting lineup Sunday against the Padres, Andy McCullough of the LA Times reports.

Grandal will sit in favor of A.J. Ellis, who is the typical catcher for Sunday's starter, Clayton Kershaw. Look for Grandal to be available as a late-game replacement if need be, or at the very least, to be used if a pinch-hit situation arises.

Perez isn't in the lineup Sunday against the Rangers, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Perez's offensive slide continued Saturday, as he went 0-for-4 with a strikeout to drop his season average to .148. Backup catcher Geovany Soto went 2-for-4 and hit his second homer of the season on Friday night, so he'll be given the opportunity to make his second start in three games. If Soto continues to sport a hot bat, he could end up displacing Perez as the team's primary backstop.

Mesoraco (shoulder) will miss his third straight game Sunday against the Pirates, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Mesoraco hasn't started since Wednesday, as he's been out of action due to left shoulder stiffness. With Mesoraco out of commission in the short term, Tucker Barnhart will continue to get an extended look behind the plate. Look for Mesoraco to be a game-time call for Monday's series opener against the Giants.

Casali is out of the lineup Sunday against the Blue Jays, Roger Mooney of The Tampa Tribune reports.

Casali started the first two games of the series, so he'll unsurprisingly be rested for Sunday's matinee. Hank Conger will fill in behind the plate in Casali's stead.

Mesoraco is out of the lineup Saturday with left shoulder stiffness, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Manager Bryan Price said Mesoraco is available to come off the bench Saturday and suggested the 27-year-old could be back behind the plate Sunday or Monday. It's good that it's not another lower-body issue for Mesoraco, but until he gets back on the field and starts finally producing, concerns over his health will linger.

Mesoraco remains out of the lineup Saturday against the Pirates, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The team has not given any indication Mesoraco is ailing, but this is his second straight absence, so something seems amiss. That said, it's possible manager Bryan Price just decided to give the 27-year-old a couple days to sit back and observe after a dismal start to the season (.378 OPS). The Reds have been hurting for runs and need Mesoraco to get going.

McCann (ankle) will catch two more games with Triple-A Toledo before rejoining the team Tuesday, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia has six home runs in 59 plate appearances, but his 39-percent strikeout rate is foreboding, and McCann could wrestle away a good chunk of playing time if Saltalamacchia regresses as expected. A career .259 hitter, McCann likely won't do much damage in that department, but he also won't help much with counting stats.

Plawecki is out of the lineup Saturday against the Giants.

He was due to get a day off after starting the last three games at catcher. The scouting reports on Plawecki suggest he can be an average hitter for the position, but he has not yet shown that kind of promise on the field in limited samplings. Rene Rivera will start at catcher and hit eighth Saturday.

Grandal went 2-for-4 with a solo homer Friday against the Padres.

Grandal's first home run of the season tied the game in the sixth inning of a game the Dodgers would go on to lose. After going six games without an extra-base hit, he's now collected them in back-to-back games to bring his slash line to .300/.440/.500.

Perez is out of the lineup Friday against the Rangers, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports.

Perez went 2-for-10 with two RBIs in the Angels' three-game series against the Royals earlier in the week. He will now get the night off as veteran Geovany Soto moves into the lineup on Friday against right-hander Colby Lewis and the Rangers.