MLB Player News

Garver enters spring training as the leading candidate to win the backup catcher role behind starter Jason Castro with last year's backup Chris Gimenez signing with the Cubs in free agency, MLB.com reports.

He'll compete against Bobby Wilson and Willians Astudill for the backup catcher role, but the job is his to lose after a breakout season at Triple-A, where he hit 17 home runs with a .928 OPS. Garver will need to show he can hold his own with his defense. If he wins the job, he could get more at-bats than Gimenez had last year since he's both a right-handed hitter (Castro is a lefty) and can play first base or the outfield in a pinch.

Murphy has received an invitation to the Athletics' spring training as a non-roster invitee, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Murphy was drafted in the third round of the 2016 draft and was able to work his way up to Double-A Midland last season. The young backstop struggled at the plate, slashing .209/.288/.309 in his 217 plate appearances. The 23-year-old still has some refining of his game left to do before he's major-league ready.

Romanski was handed a 100-game suspension after testing positive for amphetamine for the second time in as many offseasons, Emily Waldon of The Athletic reports.

Romanski was initially given a 50-game suspension last December and will start off consecutive seasons on the shelf. The catcher split time between the Double- and Triple-A level in 2017, and hit .286/.298/.304 during 15 games with Pawtucket.

Thaiss was invited to attend spring training as a non-roster invitee, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Thaiss started the 2017 season at High-A Inland Empire, where he played 84 games before earning a promotion to Double-A Mobile. He impressed with Mobile, where he posted an outstanding .412 on-base percentage over 49 games. Between the two levels, the 22-year-old combined to slash .274/.375/.395.

Moore signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on Saturday which includes an invitation to spring training, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports.

Moore will serve as organizational depth at the catching position for the Rays, although he will likely spend most of the season at the Triple-A level barring an injury. In 2017, he played in 76 games for Triple-A Columbus within the Indians' system, slashing .238/.313/.369 with eight home runs and 33 RBI. Moore has appeared in just 30 major-league games over the last seven seasons.

Rogers has been invited to the Tigers' major-league camp this spring.

Rogers, who was one of three prospects the Tigers received in exchange for Justin Verlander last August, spent most of the 2017 campaign at High-A, slashing a combined .263/.355/.450 with 12 homers and 13 stolen bases in 85 games with Buies Creek (Astros) and Lakeland (Tigers). He'll likely report to High-A or Double-A to open the 2018 season.

Collins worked on fixing a hitch in his swing over the winter, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Collins had some areas of development in 2017, getting on base at a .370 clip and hitting 19 home runs at High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham, but some of his prospect sheen took a hit under the weight of a .224 batting average and 129 strikeouts (27.3 percent K%). As reported last October by Josh Norris of Baseball America, an area of focus for Collins during the Fall Instructional League was his body position and posture as a hitter. The goal was to make his swing less busy and get him in position to hit the ball quicker. The White Sox feel the 2016 first-round pick came along defensively, particularly in controlling the running game. However, they acknowledge areas of improvement, in terms of blocking balls and game calling. The organization can take its time with the soon-to-be 23-year-old catcher after inking Welington Castillo to a two-year deal this offseason. Improving the hit tool and making the necessary strides as a backstop will improve his prospect profile.

Monell signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports.

Monell is looking to make it back to the majors after spending 2017 with the KT Wiz of the Korean Baseball Organization. The 31-year-old backstop hit just .165/.395/.282 in 28 games for the Wiz, so he likely won't be viewed as anything more than an organizational depth piece in 2018.

Collins has been invited to the White Sox's major-league camp this spring, James Fegan of The Athletic Chicago reports.

Collins will join a long list of White Sox prospects headed to big-league camp this spring. The soon-to-be 23-year-old spent most of the 2017 season with High-A Winston-Salem, compiling a .223/.365/.443 slash-line and 17 homers in 101 games before earning a promotion to Double-A Birmingham. The backstop has flashed some serious power in his two years of pro ball, but that has also come with some contact issues (.229 average, 28.8 percent strikeout rate). With Welington Castillo inked to a two-year deal, Collins will have some time in the minors to correct his issues before the White Sox look to him for an everyday role.

Gosewisch agreed to a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.

The 34-year-old has seen his appearances at the major-league level decline each year since 2014, playing in just 11 games for Seattle this past season. During those contests, he went 2-for-28 with 14 strikeouts, and remains a likely candidate to start the 2018 season with Triple-A Tacoma.