MLB Player News

Mesoraco (hip, groin) has resarted catching drills, with bullpen catching being the next step. When he eventually sees game action, he probably will be exclusively behind the plate, because of the late start, eliminating outfield action when he needs a day off from catching as an option in the near term.

There still isn't a date for when Mesoraco will see spring training game action, but that would be the second step after bullpen catching duty. It's still possible that he could get a late start to the season, but he's progressing on the right path for now.

Vazquez came out of his first game action in nearly a year fine and is scheduled to catch four innings Friday, the Boston Herald reports.

Vazquez caught two innings Tuesday, his first game since undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in early 2015. Because Boston was careful with him early in camp, Vazquez is on a delayed schedule and is unlikely to open the season at the major-league level. The concern isn't whether Vazquez can catch a full game, but rather how many consecutive days can he play the position. We expect him to be with Boston at some point during the season, but he may not be a full-timer until 2017. And even then, there's the presence of Blake Swihart, which makes assessing Vazquez's potential playing time cloudy.

Rupp went 2-for-3 with two solo home runs in Wednesday's win over the Twins.

Rupp wasn't the only Phillie to homer twice Wednesday. Darin Ruf also went deep twice against the Orioles in a split squad game. Rupp hit his shots off of Tommy Milone and Casey Fien. He is expected to open the regular season with a larger share of the playing time behind the plate over Carlos Ruiz.

Vazquez (elbow) made his spring debut Tuesday, catching two innings and grounding out in his only at-bat.

It has been 361 days since Vazquez last participated in a game. That's when he suffered an elbow injury that eventually led to him undergoing Tommy John surgery. The Red Sox are being overly cautious with Vazquez, whose next activity will be catching a bullpen session Wednesday followed by some innings a game Friday. All signs point to him starting the season at Triple-A Pawtucket.

Mesoraco (hip) has resumed taking batting practice, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

After some starts and stops to his recovery from season-ending hip surgery last year, Mesoraco has taken another step in the right direction recently by logging some batting practice sessions. There is still no timetable for when he'll begin playing in games, but stringing some batting practice sessions together without any incident will put him on the right path toward his exhibition debut.

Pentecost (shoulder) threw a ball back to the pitcher Monday and is optimistic about his progress in recovering from shoulder surgery, Gare Joyce of Sportsnet reports.

Pentecost reportedly feels significantly healthier than in the past, and even took part in soft toss Monday. As far as a timetable goes, the catching prospect is still a ways away from getting back to game action, but he personally believes that he'll be able to do more than just therapeutic throwing by the time the minor league season gets into full swing. There has also been some speculation that the 22-year-old could convert to one of the corner infield positions to save his arm a bit and get him more at-bats during the spring, but Pentecost insists that he wants to stay behind the plate in the long run. Regardless, it's good to hear that he's finally feeling significantly better, although it'll still be a waiting game to see when he'll return to game action.

Maldonado is 3-for-9 with a double and run scored through four games this spring.

This is a good start for a player who hit just .210/.282/.293 in 2015. However, the only way he sees significant playing time this year will be if Jonathan Lucroy suffers another injury-plagued season, or if Lucroy is traded to another squad.

The Diamondbacks optioned Hernandez to High-A Visalia on Monday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Hernandez spent all of last season with the big club as a Rule 5 pick, but he appeared in just 18 games with the big club, and his assignment to High-A indicates the team still believes he has plenty of developing to do.

Vazquez (elbow) will make his spring training debut in a game Tuesday, the Providence Journal reports.

Vazquez cleared a hurdle Saturday throwing with 100 percent intensity while catching David Price in a simulated game. The young catcher had been held back last week after he experienced some soreness in his surgically repaired right elbow, but he said he felt fine Sunday after Saturday's activity. The Red Sox are non-committal when talking about Vazquez's chances of heading north with Boston, but it looks like the organization is in favor of having him begin the season in Triple-A.

Mesoraco's spring debut will be delayed due to a minor groin injury, MLB.com reports. "I would say we've slowed things down a little bit. It's not anything alarming," Mesoraco said Saturday. "It's a little bit slower just to give me a little more time to do everything a little more. I would say within the next seven to 10 days, I will be out there."

The 27-year-old tried his best to ease any concern, describing the discomfort as "a very small minimal amount of groin and hip flexor tightness, soreness" and adding that it's something doctors said would probably happen. Now more than eight months removed from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip, Mesoraco has been able to hit and catch on the side and participate in team drills throughout the early stages of camp.