MLB Player News

Rutschman went 5-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and a walk during Thursday's 10-9 victory over the Red Sox.

After impressing in spring training by recording a 1.015 OPS in 50 plate appearances, Rutschman picked up right where he left off by hitting a solo home run off Corey Kluber in the first inning. Of course, his 1.000 batting average is sure to fade as the season progresses, but the 25-year-old backstop could provide more great hitting performances this season as he continues to establish himself as one of the best offensive catchers in baseball.

Angels manager Phil Nevin said O'Hoppe will be the team's starting catcher in Thursday's season opener in Oakland, Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Less than a week ago, O'Hoppe looked as though he would open the season at Triple-A Salt Lake, but Max Stassi's (hip) move to the injured list has not only freed up a spot on the Opening Day roster for the 23-year-old backstop, but also a perhaps a temporary run as the Angels' No. 1 catcher. Nevin hasn't outlined how he plans to divvy up the starts at catcher between O'Hoppe and Matt Thaiss while Stassi is out, but given that the 27-year-old Thaiss owns an unremarkable .291 wOBA over 278 career MLB plate appearances and is coming off a poor spring at the plate, the Angels may be motivated to give the younger prospect a chance to prove he belongs in the majors. On the heels of a poor season at the dish, Stassi likely didn't have much job security prior to getting hurt, so if gets off to a hot start, O'Hoppe could hold down the No. 1 gig for good even after Stassi returns to full health.

The Guardians selected Gallagher's contract from Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.

Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria both made the roster and will be behind Mike Zunino on the depth chart. The fantasy value among the trio figures to be pretty minimal.

Diaz is starting in the designated hitter spot and batting sixth for the Astros in Thursday's opener versus the White Sox.

The Astros are carrying three catchers in part so they can use Diaz at DH and he's in that slot for the first regular-season contest. It enhances his fantasy outlook, although he might not yet be catcher-eligible in your league. Worth remembering is that Michael Brantley (shoulder) will be used at DH when he's ready, as will Yordan Alvarez.

The Astros selected Salazar's contract from Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday.

Houston is carrying three catcher on their Opening Day roster, which could allow Yainer Diaz to see some starts at designated hitter. Salazar will be making his major-league debut when he gets into a game.

The Yankees placed Rortvedt (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Rortvedt required surgery for a left shoulder aneurysm back in February and is still getting back up to speed. He'll probably head to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre once he's activated from the IL.

The Orioles selected Bemboom's contract from Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

Bemboom appeared set to serve as organizational catching depth at Norfolk to open the season, but he'll end up serving as the No. 2 backstop behind Adley Rutschman after James McCann suffered an oblique strain late last week and was placed on the 10-day injured list. Until McCann is deemed ready to rejoin the big club, expect Bemboom to pick up only one or two starts per week behind the dish while Rutschman shoulders a heavy workload.

The Orioles placed McCann on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a left oblique strain.

McCann told Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com on Thursday that he's feeling much better and doesn't believe he'll be out long. Anthony Bemboom will serve as Adley Rutschman's backup in the meantime.

The Angels placed Stassi (hip) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

As anticipated, Stassi will begin the season on the IL while he recovers from the left hip strain he suffered while appearing in a minor-league spring training game last weekend. The Angels will have room for both Logan O'Hoppe and Matt Thaiss as the catching options on their Opening Day roster, though manager Phil Nevin hasn't specified whether the team will have the two work in a timeshare or have one serve as the primary option in Stassi's stead.

Higashioka slashed .200/.333/.467 with a home run, a double, four RBI and a 3:4 BB:K over 19 Grapefruit League plate appearances.

Higashioka was one of the big stories of spring training in 2022, when he led all players with seven long balls. That performance didn't quite carry over into the regular season, though the backstop did tie his career high with 10 homers over 248 plate appearances. Higashioka is expected to serve as New York's No. 2 catcher behind Jose Trevino this season.