MLB Player News
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Jose Trevino C | CIN
Yankees' Jose Trevino: Not starting Friday
Trevino isn't in the Yankees' lineup Friday against the Astros.
Trevino got the start as New York's Opening Day catcher with Framber Valdez on the mound for Houston, but he will sit down Friday as Austin Wells starts behind the dish. Trevino and Wells figure to split time behind the plate all season, with the former likely to see most of his action against left-handed starters.
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Danny Jansen C | TEX
Blue Jays' Danny Jansen: Taking swings
Jansen (wrist) resumed swinging a bat Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
In addition to taking swings, Jansen also participated in long toss. The next steps for the catcher are to take batting practice and face high velocity, though there isn't a timeline for those activities yet. Jansen was placed on the 10-day IL on Thursday after sustaining a small fracture in his right wrist March 15.
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Rene Pinto C | PHI
Rays' Rene Pinto: Takes seat Friday
Pinto is out of the lineup for Friday's game versus the Blue Jays.
The 27-year-old started behind the plate Opening Day and went 1-for-3 with a double, a run and a strikeout. Pinto is expected to serve as Tampa Bay's primary backstop this season, but the newly acquired Ben Rortvedt will receive the nod Friday.
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Adley Rutschman C | BAL
Orioles' Adley Rutschman: Productive on Opening Day
Rutschman went 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBI and three runs scored in Thursday's 11-3 win over the Angels.
Rutschman's Opening Day effort was highlighted by a two-run single in the second inning, and the catcher scored each time he got aboard. He hit a reasonable .257 in spring training, but Rutschman has the upside to be the No. 1 catcher in fantasy. At the very least, he should see ample playing time this season after slashing .277/.374/.435 over 154 games (687 plate appearances) in 2023.
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Alejandro Kirk C | TOR
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Drives in two against Tampa Bay
Kirk went 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBI in Thursday's 8-2 win over the Rays on Opening Day.
The 25-year-old got his campaign off to a quick start with a two-run single in the sixth inning that brought home Bo Bichette and Justin Turner. With Danny Jansen (wrist) on the shelf for at least a couple more weeks, Kirk will be the Blue Jays' starting backstop to begin the season, and after a disappointing 2023 in which he managed only eight homers, 43 RBI and a .692 OPS, he'll attempt to regain his form from 2022 when he slashed .285/.372/.415 with 14 home runs and 63 RBI.
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David Fry C | CLE
Guardians' David Fry: Records three hits on Opening Day
Fry went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI in Thursday's 8-0 Opening Day win over Oakland.
Fry got the start at DH and batted fifth in the order following a strong spring during which he hit .295 with a pair of homers and eight RBI. The 28-year-old scored Cleveland's first run of the campaign in the second inning Thursday, coming around to score on a Tyler Freeman double following his own one-out two-bagger. In addition to his three hits, Fry added a sacrifice fly in the ninth frame to cap the scoring in the contest. It will take much more than one game for him to gain viability in mixed fantasy leagues, though the fact that Fry holds catcher eligibility and may log occasional time at DH in addition to being able to play the infield and outfield gives him some intrigue, especially in two-catcher formats.
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Ryan Jeffers C | MIN
Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Bats second in season opener
Jeffers started at catcher and went 0-for-5 in Thursday's Opening Day win at Kansas City. He hit No. 2 in the lineup for the second time in his career.
Jeffers didn't do much in the season opener, but his position in the lineup against a left-handed starter shows the team has confidence that his second half showing last season was a sign of things to come. Jeffers surged at the plate in with a career-high .858 OPS and a .928 OPS in the second half. He's expected to split playing time with Christian Vazquez as the Twins like to give their catchers rest. However, Jeffers could get the majority of starts.
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Danny Jansen C | TEX
Blue Jays' Danny Jansen: Lands on IL
The Blue Jays placed Jansen (wrist) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.
With Jansen on the shelf to begin the season, Alejandro Kirk will take over as the Blue Jays' clear No. 1 catcher, while Brian Serven was added to the 40-man roster and will serve as Kirk's understudy. Jansen sustained a small fracture in his right wrist March 15 but could soon resume baseball activities, at which point a clearer target date for his season debut might come into focus.
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Bo Naylor C | CLE
Guardians' Bo Naylor: Sitting Thursday
Naylor is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics.
The lefty-hitting Naylor will take a seat for Opening Day as southpaw Alex Wood takes the hill for Oakland. Austin Hedges will get the nod behind the plate in Naylor's stead.