MLB Player News
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Bo Naylor C | CLE
Guardians' Bo Naylor: Tweak leads to offense
Naylor introduced a toe tap late in the 2025 season and became one of the Guardians' top hitters over the final month of the regular season, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
It was a very up-and-down 2025 season for Naylor until he pivoted away from a leg kick to a toe tap in August. "We don't get to the playoffs without Bo Naylor at the plate last year," Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. After implementing the toe tap and getting accustomed to it, the catcher took off in September. Over 19 games, Naylor slashed .290/.324/.548 with a 136 wRC+ and a 48.1 percent hard-hit rate. Those results have carried over to the spring in both the World Baseball Classic for Team Canada and in Cactus League games. Naylor slashed .353/.353/.588 in four WBC games and is slashing .385/.467/.615 in five Cactus League contests.
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Kyle Higashioka C | TEX
Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Returns to lineup Monday
Higashioka (back) will start at catcher and bat seventh in Monday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.
Higashioka hadn't appeared in a game since March 5 due to a back issue, but now that he's back behind the plate Monday, he should have plenty of time to prepare himself for the Rangers' March 26 opener in Philadelphia. The veteran backstop is expected to split catching duties with Danny Jansen this season.
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Willie MacIver C | TEX
Rangers' Willie MacIver: Misses out on Opening Day roster
The Rangers optioned MacIver to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.
Texas looks set to head into Opening Day with Danny Jansen and Kyle Higashioka (back) as its two backstops, but MacIver should be first in line for a call-up if another catcher is required. The 29-year-old made his big-league debut last season for the Athletics, slashing .186/.252/.324 with three home runs and three stolen bases over 111 plate appearances.
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Gustavo Campero C | LAA
Angels' Gustavo Campero: Demoted to minor-league camp
The Angels reassigned Campero to minor-league camp Saturday.
Campero logged 66 plate appearances over 28 games in the majors in 2025, but with the Angels outfield in good health as Opening Day approaches, he never seemed to have much of a chance of breaking camp with the big club. The 28-year-old is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Salt Lake.
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Dillon Dingler C | DET
Tigers' Dillon Dingler: Off to slow start
Dingler, who went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, is batting just .188 through seven exhibition contests.
The start to Dingler's spring was delayed after he underwent arthroscopic right elbow surgery in the offseason. So far, the catcher has looked a bit sluggish offensively, but he's seeing regular playing time ahead of the regular season. Dingler had an impressive 2025 with a .278/.327/.425 slash line and 13 home runs across 126 regular-season contests, and he should be Detroit's clear No. 1 backstop this year with Jake Rogers in a reserve role.
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Shea Langeliers C | ATH
Athletics' Shea Langeliers: Trio of homers in spring win
Langeliers went 3-for-3 with three solo homers in Saturday's Cactus League win over the Royals.
Langeliers was locked in at the plate, going yard three times against Ryan Bergert. Fresh off a breakout 2025 campaign in which he slugged 32 doubles and 31 homers with an .861 OPS in 123 games, the catcher has continued to rake in Cactus League play, slashing .351/.429/.919 with six homers, three doubles and 11 RBI across 15 games.
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Austin Wells C | NYY
Yankees' Austin Wells: Propels DR to win in WBC
Wells went 1-for-1 with a three-run home run in Team Dominican Republic's 10-0, seven-inning victory over Korea in the quarterfinal of the World Baseball Classic on Friday.
Wells entered the game as a defensive replacement at catcher in the top of the seventh inning. Team Dominican Republic led 7-0 going into the bottom of that frame, and Wells ended the contest via the mercy rule with his three-run blast to make the score 10-0. The long ball was the second of the tournament for Wells, who is slated to be the Yankees' primary catcher this season.
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Samuel Basallo C | BAL
Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Blasts HR, drives in five Friday
Basallo went 2-for-4 with one home run, five RBI and two runs scored in Friday's Grapefruit League loss to the Phillies.
Basallo missed a couple days with an abdominal issue last month but has been on a tear at the plate this spring, as he's now slashing .320/.414/.560 across 29 trips to the plate. His third-inning home run Friday came off Andrew Painter and left the bat at 105.7 mph. Basallo later added a 108.7 mph bases-clearing, three-run double to center field. The 21-year-old Basallo is expected to see regular at-bats at designated hitter while spelling Adley Rutschman at catcher this season.
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Korey Lee C | CHW
White Sox's Korey Lee: May have roster spot
Lee could serve as the White Sox's backup catcher to begin the regular season with Kyle Teel (hamstring) sidelined, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
The White Sox are planning to only carry two catchers on their Opening Day roster, which would have almost certainly left Lee on the wrong side of the roster bubble. However, with Teel set to miss the start of the regular season, Lee is the favorite to serve as the backup to Edgar Quero for the first few weeks. Drew Romo, in camp on a minor-league deal, is Lee's primary competition.
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Edgar Quero C | CHW
White Sox's Edgar Quero: Stepping into starting role
Quero will serve as the White Sox's starting catcher to begin the regular season with Kyle Teel (hamstring) sidelined, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
Quero was originally slated to back up Teel behind the plate while also drawing some at-bats as DH. However, he should now see more consistent playing time at catcher for the first few weeks of the season. If Quero performs well in that span, he could force a more even playing-time split than originally anticipated once Teel returns.