MLB Player News

Higashioka and the Yankees agreed Tuesday on a one-year, $935,000 contract to avoid arbitration, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Higashioka is projected to fill the short side of a catching platoon in 2022 with the lefty-hitting Ben Rortvedt, whom the Yankees acquired earlier this month in the deal that sent fellow backstop Gary Sanchez to Minnesota. Rortvedt is currently tending to a Grade 1 oblique strain that could keep him on the shelf to begin the season, so Higashioka may enjoy a brief run of steady starts in April. Higashioka logged 211 plate appearances over 67 games in 2021, hitting a mere .181 but providing solid power numbers (10 home runs, 29 RBI).

Garver and the Rangers agreed to terms on a one-year, $3.335 million deal Tuesday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

The agreement means Garver won't have to go through the arbitration process with his new team. He'll receive a raise of roughly $1.5 million in his second season of arbitration eligibility after a season in which he hit .256/.358/.517 with 13 homers in just 68 games.

Hedges agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal with the Guardians on Tuesday, avoiding arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Hedges will get a decent payday in his final year of arbitration eligibility. He must be getting paid purely for his defense, as he's hit a miserable .174/.236/.307 over the last three seasons.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Monday that Rortvedt (oblique) could begin the season on the injured list, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

Based on Cashman's comments, Rortvedt's injury was actually something that the catcher was dealing with prior to being acquired from the Twins on March 13, but the oblique issue didn't present enough concerns for the Yankees to nix the deal. Once healthy, Rortvedt could be a candidate to fill the large side of a platoon at catcher, but if he's sidelined to begin the season, Kyle Higashioka could be looking at something close to a full-time role behind the dish. Non-roster invitees Rob Brantly and David Freitas are the only other players in the organization with prior MLB catching experience.

Kirk went 2-for-3 with a double and a two-run home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

Getting the start at DH and hitting fourth, Kirk lifted a Dillon Peters offering over the fence in the left-field corner in the first inning. It was the first homer of the spring for the 23-year-old, giving Kirk an early edge over Danny Jansen in the competition for the Blue Jays' starting catcher job.

The Rangers optioned Huff to Triple-A Round Rock on Monday.

Texas sent Huff to its minor-league camp along with fellow 40-man roster players Sherten Apostel (knee) and Ricky Vanasco (elbow). Huff, who made a 10-game cameo with the big club in 2020, played exclusively in the minors in 2021. He saw the majority of his action with Double-A Frisco, but Huff looks as though he'll be in line for a full-season appointment to Triple-A for 2022.

Higashioka has a chance to begin the regular season as the Yankees' primary catcher since Ben Rortvedt is dealing with a Grade 1 oblique strain, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Higashioka was expected to compete for playing time behind the dish during spring training, but it appeared likely that he'd begin the regular season in the short side of a platoon. However, Rortvedt will be shut down from hitting for five days after being diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain Saturday, and manager Aaron Boone expressed concern regarding Rortvedt's availability for Opening Day. Even if Rortvedt avoids a trip to the injured list to begin the year, Higashioka could still see the majority of the playing time behind the dish early on if the Yankees exercise caution to prevent a more serious injury for Rortvedt.

Manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Rortvedt is dealing with a Grade 1 oblique strain, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Rortvedt will be shut down from hitting for five days after being diagnosed with the Grade 1 strain, and Boone expressed concern regarding the catcher's availability for Opening Day. The 24-year-old was expected to compete with Kyle Higashioka for playing time at catcher during spring training, but Rortvedt's shutdown means that Higashioka could begin the 2022 campaign as the Yankees' primary catcher.

Godoy was claimed off waivers by the Twins on Thursday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Godoy was claimed by the Giants on Sunday after being designated for assignment by the Mariners. However, the Giants designated him for assignment Thursday to make room for Joc Pederson on the active roster. The Twins have Gary Sanchez and Ryan Jeffers on their major-league roster after trading Mitch Garver on Saturday, so Godoy is likely to begin the year at Triple-A St. Paul since he has two minor-league options left.

Grullon signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Wednesday.

Grullon spent time with three different Triple-A clubs in 2021 and hit .196 with 10 home runs, 25 RBI and 21 runs across 43 games. He appeared in one game for the Red Sox in 2020 and will rejoin the organization ahead of the 2022 campaign.