MLB Player News

Higashioka was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's Cactus League game against the Giants due to back tightness, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Willie MacIver was a late addition to the starting nine at catcher in place of Higashioka, whose removal from the lineup has been described as a "precaution." The veteran backstop previously missed time earlier in camp due to the same injury, which has limited him to just seven at-bats in Cactus League play over the past 10 days.

Vazquez agreed to a minor-league contract with the Astros on Saturday that includes an invitation to spring training, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Vazquez is currently playing for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, but afterward he will report to Astros camp and attempt to win the backup job behind Yainer Diaz. Cesar Salazar, the only other catcher currently on Houston's 40-man roster, is 2-for-13 so far this spring. Vazquez, now 35, spent the last three seasons in Minnesota, slashing a combined .215/.267/.311.

Briceno said Friday that he expects to be sidelined a few months after having surgery Wednesday to repair a tendon in his right wrist, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Briceno injured the wrist in a Grapefruit League contest last weekend and is now looking at an extended absence. The 21-year-old slashed .266/.383/.500 with 20 home runs over 100 games between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie in 2025. Once healthy, he'll likely head back to Erie.

Briceno underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a tendon in his right wrist, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Briceno injured his wrist during Grapefruit League play this past weekend and an operation was deemed necessary. The Tigers have not revealed a timetable for Briceno's return to game action, but the 21-year-old is surely to be sidelined several weeks. One of Detroit's top prospects, Briceno slashed .266/.383/.500 with 20 home runs over 100 games between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie in 2025.

Narvaez (back) will start at catcher and bat sixth in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees, Chris Henrique of BostonSportsJournal.com reports.

As expected, Narvaez will slot back in behind the plate after taking a day off to recover from a bout of back spasms. The Red Sox recently revealed that Narvaez played hurt for essentially the entire 2025 season before undergoing surgery in October to clean up his left knee. The 27-year-old is 5-for-10 with two RBI so far this spring.

Jimenez will miss three to four weeks because of a fractured right ring finger, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Jimenez was acquired from Detroit last July for Chris Paddack. He hit just .250 with a .773 OPS in 48 games in the rookie-level Florida Complex League but batted .269 with a .982 OPS for Single-A Fort Myers in 23 games after the trade. He'll likely have a delayed start to the minor-league season, but he is worth tracking due to his strong play after joining the Twins organization.

Narvaez was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's exhibition game against Team Puerto Rico due to back spasms, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

Narvaez experienced the back spasm Monday and is expected to return to action Wednesday after taking a day to recover. The 27-year-old is expected to open 2026 as Boston's No. 1 catcher after posting a .725 OPS with 15 home runs as a rookie in 118 regular-season games last year.

Narvaez was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's exhibition game versus Team Puerto Rico for unspecified reasons, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

It's unclear if Narvaez is dealing with an injury, but he's been removed from the starting nine after initially being penciled in as the designated hitter. The 27-year-old backstop underwent a left knee meniscectomy early in the offseason but entered camp fully healthy.

Quero is likely to get the majority of his starts at catcher against left-handed pitching, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

While manager Will Venable stopped short of calling the White Sox's catcher situation a straight platoon, he did acknowledge that Kyle Teel will start behind the plate against most right-handed pitching. That leaves Quero on the short end of playing time, though he's also likely to get at least some plate appearances at DH. While the playing time situation is a bit murky, Queto has picked up nine hits across his first 17 at-bats -- three of which have gone for extra bases -- early in Cactus League action, after working at Driveline to improve his swing this winter.

Teel will catch on most days when the White Sox face a right-handed pitcher, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The White Sox have a crowded depth chart at catcher, with Teel and Edgar Quero leading the way. Teel earned the majority of playing time at the position across the second half of 2025 and looks to be in line to maintain that role. Manager Will Venable stopped short of calling the distribution of playing time a platoon, though Quero will draw most of his starts behind the dish against lefties while also getting some additional plate appearances at designated hitter. Meanwhile, Teel will look to build off of a solid rookie season, when he hit .273 with eight homers and three stolen bases across 297 plate appearances.