The Rays informed Mejia that he did not make the Opening Day roster Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mejia was signed in late February and was competing for the backup catcher job. He made plenty of contact across 16 plate appearances in Grapefruit League action, though he didn't make enough of an impression to secure a roster spot.

Brantly was informed Friday that he did not make the big-league roster out of spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Brantly joined the Rays on a minor-league deal in January, and he was in the mix to back up Rene Pinto behind the dish. He hit well across 16 plate appearances in Grapefruit League action, and the team has said they hope to keep Brantly in the organization to serve as depth.

The Royals optioned Nola to Triple-A Omaha on Friday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

As long as Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin were healthy, Nola was always destined for Omaha to begin the season. He'll provide veteran catching depth in the minors.

Jansen (wrist) said Thursday he hopes to begin throwing this weekend, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The small fracture Jansen was diagnosed with nearly a week ago was in his right hand, so it would seem to be a good sign that he's nearly ready to throw. A stint on the injured list to begin the season would appear to be a virtual certainty, but the hope is that Jansen won't need to miss much time.

The Astros optioned Salazar to Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Salazar was always destined for Sugar Land as long as Yainer Diaz and Victor Caratini were healthy. He'll see regular starts behind the plate with the affiliate.

The Tigers reassigned Bemboom to minor-league camp Thursday.

Bemboom was in camp as another catcher to throw to, but he wasn't going to make the roster as long as Jake Rogers and Carson Kelly were healthy. The 34-year-old will provide some experienced depth at Toledo.

Carson Kelly is expected to play often this season, per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, which could cut into Rogers' role.

Rogers should still see the majority of the playing time behind the plate after clubbing 21 home runs a season ago, but he may be at risk of sitting fairly regularly, especially if Kelly plays well. Even in something of a timeshare, Rogers offers fantasy upside due to his power potential, though he's unlikely to contribute much in the batting average category given his free-swinging approach.

The White Sox optioned Lee to Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old hit well during spring training with a 1.280 OPS in 26 plate appearances, but veterans Martin Maldonado and Max Stassi will begin the campaign as Chicago's two big-league catchers. Lee struggled to a .077/.143/.138 slash line in his first 24 MLB games last season but should receive another look with the big club at some point in 2024.

McCann has an opportunity secure the No. 2 catcher job behind Shea Langeliers in the wake of Tyler Soderstrom's demotion to Triple-A Las Vegas, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

McCann was a fourth-round pick in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft, and he's steadily ascended in the organizational ranks since that point. The 26-year-old spent the entirety of the 2023 season with Las Vegas, producing a solid .270/.351/.474 slash line with 35 extra-base hits and 57 RBI across 97 games. McCann hasn't been anywhere near as successful this spring -- he sports a .211 average across 23 Cactus League plate appearances -- but manager Mark Kotsay implies McCann remains in contention with veteran Carlos Perez for the No. 2 job and has complimented McCann for "continuing to grow and make improvements to challenge for that opportunity."

Perez's chances of securing the No. 2 catcher job have increased significantly with the recent demotion of Tyler Soderstrom to Triple-A Las Vegas to start the season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The veteran returned to Oakland on a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training on Jan. 5 after serving as Shea Langeliers' backup for the majority of the 2023 season. Perez made some serviceable offensive contributions in the process, generating a career-high six home runs and .650 OPS across 68 games. However, Perez has only posted a .111 average over 30 Cactus League plate appearances, and he still has to beat out Kyle McCann, a fourth-round pick in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft who hit well at Triple-A last season.