MLB Player News

Stubbs was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Stubbs impressed in his limited opportunities before Spring Training was suspended, slashing .455/.625/.727 with a homer and two steals in 16 plate appearances, but it wasn't enough for him to beat out Dustin Garneau for the job as Houston's backup catcher.

Sanchez went 1-for-17 with seven strikeouts in Cactus League play. He also struggled behind the plate and was bothered by a sore back and a bout with the flu.

While Sanchez remains the top power-hitting catcher in the game, his contact issues this spring serve as a stark reminder that he hit a paltry .232 with a 28 percent strikeout rate last season. His defensive issues can be partially attributed to a new catching stance that he experimented with throughout the spring, but Sanchez has always been a below-average defender behind the dish and has struggled blocking balls in the dirt throughout his career. Still, his ability to hit balls out of the yard will keep Sanchez in the heart of the potent Yankee lineup on a regular basis, and the delay to the start of the regular season leaves no question about his availability for Opening Day.

Perez finished with a .176/.222/.176 slash line and two RBI over 18 plate appearances in spring training.

Perez registered just three hits in 17 at-bats this spring, striking out four times over that stretch. Despite this, he's on track to begin the 2020 season as the team's starting backstop, with Sandy Leon likely to stand in as the backup catcher on Perez's occasional off days.

Trevino (finger) was given rehabilitation instructions as the Rangers disbanded camp, but a scheduled follow-up is on hold, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Both Trevino and Jeff Mathis (hamstring) are rehabbing injuries suffered during Cactus League action, so their depth-chart status is unclear during the delay necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic. In terms of roster management, Trevino has minor-league options left, so the Rangers may go with the veteran Mathis as the backup to Robinson Chirinos once the regular season begins.

Higashioka appears to have won the No. 2 backstop role behind Gary Sanchez, George A. King III of the New York Post reports.

After toiling in the minors for the better part of 12 seasons, Higashioka is in line to assume a spot on the Opening Day roster of a major-league team for the first time in his career. Though the 29-year-old has hit only .164 across 146 big-league at-bats, he slugged 20 homers while hitting .278 in only 70 Triple-A games in 2019 and was enjoying a strong spring, batting .276 with three home runs over 29 Grapefruit League at-bats.

Leon is a lock to begin the season on the roster, Joe Noga of Cleveland.com reports.

This doesn't come as any surprise given that the Indians don't have much talent at the position at the upper levels of the organization. What remains more difficult to project is just how much playing time Leon will receive behind presumed starter Roberto Perez. Leon is regarded as a strong framer behind the plate, which could help him earn extra at-bats when the season gets underway.

McGuire is set to begin the season in a time share with Danny Jansen behind the plate.

While the Jays have given no official indication that either catcher would handle a lead role in that arrangement, all signs point to Jansen being the de facto No. 1. In addition to McGuire's own off-field legal issues, Jansen had been on fire at the plate when the Grapefruit League schedule was put on pause, leading the circuit with a 1.953 OPS through 20 plate appearances compared to McGuire's paltry .638 OPS in 21 PAs. On the bright side, McGuire's spot in the majors seems secure -- the organization has no other catchers on the 40-man roster, and top prospects like Alejandro Kirk are still in the low minors.

Garver could get fewer starts than originally anticipated if MLB comes out with a condensed schedule with fewer off days, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic speculates.

It's a double-edged sword, as the Twins' new-school approach to days off and workload management would point toward fewer starts for Garver if a 162-game season were condensed in a shorter period of time. However, it seems unlikely that there will be a 162-game season, and if it is a shorter season, he could possibly play a greater percentage of the Twins' games if it is more of a sprint than a marathon. Regardless of what the schedule ends up being, Garver is one of the top players at his position. He hit .250 with five strikeouts, five walks and zero extra-base hits in 25 plate appearances this spring before the shutdown.

Jeffers really impressed on both sides of the ball in big-league camp, Mike Rosenbaum of MLB.com reports. "He's a total pro with his plate discipline, with how he manages counts," said assistant general manager Jeremy Zoll. "He's a really physical guy, and we think that his advanced approach is going to allow him to hit, and hit for power."

Zoll says Jeffers has been one of the best receivers in the minors since he was drafted with the 59th overall pick in 2018 and has really started to excel at managing a pitching staff and calling a game. He has also started to tap into a promising offensive profile. Prior to the season getting delayed, there seemed to be a chance that Jeffers could help the big-league club this summer, but if the season is shortened significantly, he may not finish his minor-league development in time to make his big-league debut in 2020.

Thaiss is expected to claim a roster spot as the Angels' backup first baseman, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Thaiss entered spring training in a competition with Jared Walsh to back up Albert Pujols. While Walsh hit just .150 in Cactus League play, Thaiss batted .269 and drove in five runs. That figures to make him the favorite to land one of the club's final two roster spots, especially since Tommy La Stella -- initially expected to spend some time at first base this season -- did not log any reps at the position during spring training.