Nola was released by the Brewers and signed a major-league deal with the Royals on Thursday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Nola was in camp with the Brewers on a minor-league deal, but he became expendable after the team added Gary Sanchez. He was released as a result but quickly found a new deal with the Royals, where he's likely to compete for the backup catcher role with Freddy Fermin (finger). Across 154 plate appearances with the Padres in 2023, Nola posted a .146/.260/.192 line.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Heim won't make his first Cactus League start until Feb. 28 versus the Dodgers, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

Heim hasn't dealt with any health issues upon reporting to spring training, but the Rangers are being careful not to overextend the catcher during camp after he served as the team's primary backstop in its run to the franchise's first World Series title this past fall. The 28-year-old should be able to get enough at-bats in during the spring to prepare himself for the start of the season, though Texas could still look to lighten his workload behind the dish to some degree early on in the campaign. Manager Bruce Bochy suggested Wednesday that the Rangers may look to carry three catchers on the Opening Day roster, with Andrew Knizner, Sam Huff and non-roster invitee Andrew Knapp in contention for backup roles behind Heim.

According to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, Wells won't work out at any position besides catcher during spring training, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

It's not yet clear who will be the Opening Day catcher for the Yankees, as Jose Trevino provides better defense than Wells but swings a less potent bat and is currently managing a calf strain. Even if Trevino recovers quickly, Wells could very feasibly win the role of primary backstop with a strong spring, and he already showed off his power upside with four homers in 70 at-bats during his first taste of the majors last season. Given the contrasting strengths of Wells and Trevino, it's possible the pair of backstops splits starts behind the plate, which would dent the fantasy value of both players.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday that the club is considering carrying three catchers on the Opening Day roster, putting Huff in contention for a spot, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

Jonah Heim will start and Andrew Knizner would appear to be the heavy favorite to back him up, but Huff also looks to be in the mix. Working in Huff's favor is that he can also play first base and could bring enough thump offensively to draw the occasional start at designated hitter. Huff does have an option year remaining, so Texas could still hang on to him even if he's not on the Opening Day roster.

Dingler (elbow) is scheduled to throw to bases this week as part of his rehab program for the arthroscopic right elbow procedure he underwent in the offseason, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

The Tigers are easing the young catcher along in his throwing program as he ramps back up from the elbow procedure, but he's otherwise able to perform all baseball activities. With that in mind, Dingler could be able to make his spring debut early in the Tigers' Grapefruit League schedule as a designated hitter, though it's unclear when he'll be ready to catch in games.

The Twins plan to about equally split playing time behind the plate this season even with Jeffers' ascension late last year that saw him start every playoff game, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told Dan Hayes of The Athletic.

The Twins like to utilize two catchers to reduce wear and tear, so this isn't a big surprise. However, Jeffers surged at the plate last season with a career-high .858 OPS and a .928 OPS in the second half. Meanwhile, Christian Vazquez struggled by hitting .223 with little power (.095 ISO) and a paltry .280 OBA. Jeffers could still see a majority of the playing time, but Baldelli's comments should give pause for any fantasy manager looking for a significant increase in his counting stats.

Vazquez worked at Driveline Baseball in the offseason to improve his bat speed and has his weight down to 208 pounds from 215 pounds as he seeks improved fitness entering the spring, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said the Twins plan to about equally split playing time at catcher even with Vazquez's disappointing 2023 season at the plate, according to the report. Vazquez hit just .223 with little power (.095 ISO) and a paltry .280 OBA last season. Some hope for a rebound can be gleaned from the fact that he's alternated productive and abysmal seasons at the plate throughout his career.

Basallo won't be ready to catch in games until around late April after being diagnosed with a right elbow stress fracture, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

The top prospect is able to catch but is not yet allowed to throw. If Basallo gets into any Grapefruit League action this spring, it will be as a designated hitter. The 19-year-old is likely to be assigned to Double-A Bowie once healthy following a breakout 2023 season which saw him slash .313/.402/.551 with 20 home runs across three levels.

Manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Trevino recently suffered a calf strain and won't be ready for the start of spring training games next weekend, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

Trevino said in early February he would enter spring training with no limitations from the wrist surgery he underwent in July, but he then suffered the calf injury within the past couple weeks. The new injury is believed to be a minor issue, with Boone also saying the veteran backstop should be ready for Opening Day, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.

Dingler is recovering from arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

It's not clear when the procedure was performed, but Dingler has already begun a throwing program and is able to do all other baseball activities. The 25-year-old catcher was added to the Tigers' 40-man roster over the offseason and could debut at some point in 2024.