MLB Player News

Rogers and Grayson Greiner will likely compete this spring to serve as the backup catcher in Detroit behind new addition Wilson Ramos, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The Tigers signed Ramos to a one-year deal in January, and although the veteran had a down 2020 campaign, he is set to serve as the top backstop in Detroit. That leaves Rogers to battle with Greiner, unless the team opts to carry three catchers, which seems unlikely at this point. Rogers didn't make an appearance for the Tigers last year, but he did play in 35 games in 2019, slashing .125/.222/.259 with four home runs.

Collins will be challenged for the backup catching job with the addition of Jonathan Lucroy, Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald reports.

With the White Sox building toward a deeper playoff run, manager Tony La Russa may prefer the veteran Lucroy over Collins, who has yet to establish himself behind the plate. He may still be part of the 26-man roster as a third catcher and DH if prospect Andrew Vaughn opens the season in the minors.

Rutschman has been invited to the Orioles' big-league camp.

Rutschman probably won't receive serious consideration for an Opening Day roster spot, as he's played just 37 career professional games. His debut may not be too far off, however, as he's one of the best catching prospects in years and is already quite advanced. He was reportedly under consideration for a debut last season if the Orioles managed to stick in the playoff race. Exactly when Rutschman might make his debut this year remains unclear.

Heim was sent from Texas to Oakland along with Khris Davis and Dane Acker on Saturday in a trade which sent Elvis Andrus, Aramis Garcia and cash considerations the other way, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Heim made a brief MLB debut last season, hitting .211/.268/.211 in 13 games. He may not project as anything close to a star, but he has a good chance to be a useful enough piece for the Rangers, as he hit a strong .310/.385/.477 in 85 games across the two highest levels of the minors in 2019. He'll be competing for a roster spot with Jose Trevino, Sam Huff and Drew Butera in camp.

Perez signed a minor-league deal with the Athletics on Friday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

The 30-year-old has spent parts of four seasons in the big leagues, though he hasn't done much with his opportunities and hasn't received any since 2018. in 670 career plate appearances at the highest level, he owns a .215/.257/.319 slash line. He was a member of Oakland's player pool last season but never made it onto the big-league roster.

Godoy was invited to Seattle's minor-league camp Thursday, Lauren Smith of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Godoy has spent his entire professional career thus far as a member of the Cardinals' system. He's a fringe prospect at best, projecting for a sub-par bat with average defense, but he could earn his big-league debut this season as he lines up as one of Seattle's top minor-league depth options behind the plate.

The Athletics announced Monday that Soderstrom will report to big-league spring training as a non-roster invitee.

After being selected in the first round of the 2020 first-year player draft, Soderstrom didn't get the chance to make his debut in affiliated ball due to the cancellation of the minor-league season. The assignment to major-league spring training will thus give the Athletics a greater opportunity to evaluate Soderstrom against higher-level competition, even though he won't be a serious candidate to break camp with the big club. Look for the 19-year-old backstop to make his professional debut at the rookie-ball level.

Sanchez and the Yankees reached a one-year, $6.35 million deal Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Despite a lackluster season during the 2020 campaign in which Sanchez lost out on playing time late in the year, the two sides won't need to go to arbitration during the offseason. Sanchez will have to compete for the starting role during spring training after slashing just .147/.253/.365 with 10 home runs and 24 RBI over 178 plate appearances last year.

Murphy signed a one-year, $875,000 contract with the Mariners on Friday to avoid arbitration.

The 29-year-old was expected to start behind the plate for Seattle in 2020, but he missed the entirety of the season after fracturing his foot in July. Murphy is expected to work in a timeshare at catcher with Luis Torrens in 2021.

Stassi (hip) signed a one-year, $1.6 million contract with the Angels on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Stassi will double the $800,000 contract he signed in January of 2020. The raise is well-earned, as he's coming off a year in which he hit .278/.352/.533, albeit in a small sample of 105 plate appearances. He appears set to split time behind the plate in 2021 with Kurt Suzuki, who was signed as a free agent Friday.