MLB Player News

Diaz (elbow) is suffering from lateral elbow discomfort and may yet be a candidate for Tommy John surgery. "The doctors are focused on the lateral (outside) of the elbow," trainer Todd Tomczyk told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

The news is discouraging as the organization felt confident Diaz would avoid going under the knife. The catcher hasn't reacted well to a prescription of arm rest since spring training.

Mesoraco (leg) could return to the lineup Friday, MLB.com reports.

The ailment that's kept Mesoraco on the bench for two games has been officially labeled right leg tightness. The 27-year-old underwent surgery last summer to repair a torn labrum in his left hip. Tucker Barnhart is starting in place of Mesoraco again Thursday.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Thursday's matchup with the Diamondbacks.

After making his first start of the season Wednesday, Grandal will be replaced behind the plate by A.J Ellis for Thursday's series finale. Grandal went 0-for-3 with a walk Wednesday and might not be back in the lineup until Saturday given that Clayton Kershaw, who is starting Friday, is usually caught by Ellis.

Manager Ned Yost said that Perez will likely sit out of Saturday's game against the A's, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Perez is one of the most durable catchers in the major leagues, but it appears that Yost wants to get him a bit of rest in the early going so that the backstop is a bit fresher as the season rolls along. If this report holds true, Drew Butera will likely get the start behind the plate Saturday.

Barnhart is in the lineup and hitting eighth for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

Barnhart will receive his second consecutive start while Devin Mesoraco continues to deal with right leg tightness. The Indianapolis native has filled in nicely for the Reds, hitting .444/.545/.444 in 11 plate appearances this season.

Mesoraco (leg) is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

Mesoraco is hitting a lowly .105 to start 2016 and has now missed back-to-back games with right leg tightness. It is unclear whether Mesoraco will return for the Reds' weekend series with St. Louis, but Tucker Barnhart will take over the catching duties for the Reds until he is back.

Vazquez (elbow) is set to be activated for Friday's game against the Blue Jays, the Boston Herald's Evan Drellich reports.

Blake Swihart gets the edge over Vazquez as a hitter, but Swihart's defense so far this year has been well below average, sailing a throw to second base and failing to catch fairly routine foul pop-ups. Vazquez will not be the magic elixir that fixes all the issues with Boston's rotation, but he will definitely help matters, as he is one of the best defensive catchers in the game. It is unclear if Swihart or Ryan Hanigan will be the roster casualty, but odds are the Red Sox will want Swihart getting regular at-bats, which probably won't happen with Vazquez on the active roster.

Gomes is out of the lineup Thursday against the Rays.

Gomes has started every game for the Tribe this season, as his only other scheduled day off came on a day where the game was rained out. He'll take a seat Thursday afternoon following a night game, giving way to Roberto Perez behind the plate.

Casali is out of the lineup Thursday against the Indians, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune reports.

Casali continues to switch off with Hank Conger on a game-by-game basis, as it will be Conger tasked with catching Chris Archer on Thursday.

Perez went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in the eighth inning of Wednesday's 4-2 win against the Astros.

His first homer of the year was a huge one, as it snapped a 2-2 tie against ace reliever Ken Giles. Perez has started the year a little slow, but should continue rounding into form as one of the top few backstops in fantasy.