MLB Player News

Kirk was informed Sunday that he would be part of the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

After mashing over his nine games with the Blue Jays as a rookie late in the 2020 season, Kirk hasn't cooled off so far this spring, posting a .917 OPS in 24 at-bats. While Danny Jansen's superior defense should keep him locked in as the Blue Jays' top catcher to begin 2021, Toronto likely wouldn't have carried the 22-year-old Kirk on the Opening Day roster if he wasn't in line for a fair share of at-bats. It's reasonable to expect a 60-40 percent split of the playing time at catcher between Jansen and Kirk, with the latter perhaps occasionally factoring into the mix at designated hitter as well. That should be enough to make Kirk a draftable option in AL-only leagues and deeper mixed leagues that start two catchers.

Manager Alex Cora said Sunday that Vazquez (eye) has "a really good chance" of being ready for Opening Day, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez is back with the team after recently leaving camp to tend to a personal matter, but he's still in the process of recovering from the left eye contusion and laceration he suffered last week. He appears to have made good progress on that front, with Cora indicating that Vazquez could be ready to appear in a "B' game Monday. If that's the case, Vazquez would likely be on track to catch Nathan Eovaldi in the April 1 season opener versus Baltimore.

Manager Dusty Baker said Sunday that Stubbs will remain away from the team for at least one or two days while waiting to clear COVID-19 health and safety protocols, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

After being hit in the head by a pitch in a March 22 game, Stubbs was held out of the lineup for two days before returning to action in a reserve capacity Thursday. While he looks to be in the clear for the start of the season from an injury standpoint, his entry into the health and safety protocol suddenly makes his status for Opening Day murkier. As the clear No. 3 catcher on the depth chart behind Martin Maldonado and Jason Castro, Stubbs won't see much work even if Houston elects to carry him on its 26-man active roster to begin the season.

Perez was reassigned to minor-league camp Saturday.

Perez made a strong case for the backup catcher job during spring training this year, but Aramis Garcia was informed Saturday that he'll make the Opening Day roster after Perez was sent to the minors. Perez hit .304 with a double, three runs and two RBI in 14 Cactus League games this spring and will begin the season at Triple-A Las Vegas.

Vazquez (personal/eye) returned to camp Saturday and looks better, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Vazquez was away from the team while attending to a personal matter, and he's also dealing with an eye contusion and laceration after being hit in the face during batting practice earlier in the week. Manager Alex Cora is confident that Vazquez will be available for Opening Day, and the catcher reportedly looked better following his brief absence from camp.

Trevino will not be part of a platoon with the switch-hitting Jonah Heim, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Texas manager Chris Woodward confirmed that the right-handed hitting Trevino will get regular starts against righty starters instead of having Heim play on those days. Trevino is slashing .188/.235/.344 with 10 strikeouts over 32 at-bats this spring.

Collins started at designated hitter and went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Friday's spring game against Milwaukee.

Collins went deep for the second straight day and third time during Cactus League play. The injury to left fielder Eloy Jimenez (pectoral) is having a ripple effect that benefits Collins, who is having a monster spring, slashing .333/.422/.590. Andrew Vaughn, who was set to start the season as the primary DH, could replace Jimenez in left field, leaving an opening at DH. The left-handed-hitting Collins could provide a balance to a righty-dominant order.

Vazquez will return to camp Saturday after attending to a personal matter and will undergo additional testing on his left eye, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The 30-year-old is nursing an eye contusion and laceration after being hit in the face during batting practice earlier this week, and he's currently away from the team due to the personal issue. Manager Alex Cora continues to express confidence the eye issue is a minor concern, and Vazquez is expected to be ready for Opening Day against the Orioles on Thursday.

Plawecki could see more work than expected early in the season after Christian Vazquez suffered an eye injury Thursday.

Per Ian Browne of MLB.com, Vazquez was struck in the face by a thrown ball, causing his sunglasses to shatter, and he suffered a laceration under his left eye. The injury is not considered serious, but if Vazquez is unavailable come Opening Day, Plawecki is healthy and set to fill in. He's 4-for-19 with one RBI, one run and three strikeouts over nine spring contests.

Perez remains a strong candidate to win the backup catcher job heading into the final days of spring training, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Perez is in one of the more heated job battles of Athletics camp with Aramis Garcia, who's also impressed in his bid to serve as Sean Murphy's primary backup behind the dish to open the season. Perez is more of a known quantity to the organization than offseason arrival Garcia, with the former having spent the 2020 campaign distinguishing himself at Oakland's alternate training site with his ability to handle the younger pitchers on the roster. The 30-year-old hasn't seen regular-season action since 2018, but he's hitting a solid .273 (6-for-22) with an RBI across 13 spring games.