MLB Player News

Gomes (arm) is scheduled to play catcher during Sunday's Cactus League game, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Gomes has been dealing with some arm soreness, but the issue was never expected to keep him sidelined long. Assuming he gets through Sunday's game with no issues, the backstop should be fully operational for the start of the regular season.

Thaiss was reassigned to minor-league camp Saturday.

He hit .259 with two home runs and a .310 OBP in 27 spring at-bats. Thaiss should open the year at either Double-A or Triple-A and could reach the big leagues this season. However, he may not be able to get everyday at-bats in the majors anytime soon, barring an injury.

The White Sox reassigned Zavala to minor-league camp Friday.

Zavala earned a non-roster invitation to spring training after slashing .282/.353/.499 with 21 home runs in 387 at-bats between Low-A Kannapolis and High-A Winston-Salem in 2017. Double-A Birmingham seems like the likely destination for the 24-year-old this season.

Gomes is out with minor arm soreness Friday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The injury does not appear to be serious, and Gomes could see action as the designated hitter over the next few days. He's expected to catch again Monday. Barring setbacks, he should be fine by the start of the regular season.

Trevino was optioned to Double-A Frisco, Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Optioning Trevino, along with designating Brett Nicholas for assignment, gives Juan Centeno a significant edge in the battle to win the backup catching job. Trevino is a defensive specialist who has won a Gold Glove as the top defensive catcher in the minor leagues the past two seasons.

Jansen was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Jansen is a promising catching prospect, though he was always unlikely to open the season with the big-league club. Still just 22, he hit well at the three highest levels of the minors last season (a combined .323/.400/.484 in 104 games) but only has 21 games at Triple-A. With strong performances in his return to Buffalo this season, Jansen could make his major-league debut later this year.

Nicholas cleared waivers and will return to the Rangers as a non-roster invitee, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Nicholas was waived when the Rangers signed Tim Lincecum. The 29-year-old can continue to compete for the team's backup catcher job as a non-roster invitee, though he's likely behind Juan Centeno, who remains on the 40-man roster. Nicholas figures to return to Triple-A and wait for an injury to Centeno or starting catcher Robinson Chirinos. He hit .311/.353/.469 for Round Rock last season.

The Tigers reassigned Rogers to their minor-league camp Tuesday.

Considered one of the best defensive backstops in the minor leagues, Rogers' prowess behind the plate could allow him to reach the majors quicker than most catching prospects, but he doesn't offer many exciting tools from a fantasy standpoint. He at least held his own at the plate while splitting time between the Low-A and High-A levels in 2017, batting .261/.350/.467 with 18 home runs and 14 steals. That could be enough for the Tigers to feel comfortable assigning the 22-year-old to Double-A Erie to begin the campaign.

Perez is hitting .364 with three home runs, four strikeouts and one walk in 22 spring at-bats.

Perez is showing off some thump so far as the cleanup hitter, which could be a preview of a potential career year, not because of what he's doing this spring, but because of where he figures to hit in the Royals' lineup. The bulk of his at-bats came out of the five hole last year when Perez hit a career-high 27 home runs. If he brings that same level of power and can stay relatively healthy in his age 27/28 season, he could set career highs in runs and RBI with a regular spot in the four hole.

Mejia will receive some time in the outfield in minor-league camp and early in the season, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The Indians still view Mejia as a catcher, but his bat is considered to be far more advanced than his glove. The team likes the defense of its current catcher tandem, Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez, and they're quite set at designated hitter with Edwin Encarnacion. They experimented with him at third base but did not like what they saw. Outfield could be his best route to the big leagues, as the team's corner outfielders have been hampered by injuries throughout the last two seasons.