MLB Player News

Manager Dusty Baker labeled Maldonado as the Astros' No. 1 catcher Thursday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

After Houston elected to let Robinson Chirinos walk in free agency while bringing back Maldonado on a two-year, $7 million deal, it was already fairly apparent that the latter would open the season atop the depth chart at catcher. Baker's willingness to confirm as much ensures that Maldonado will see the bulk of the work to begin the season, while the relatively unproven Garrett Stubbs likely serves as the No. 2 option behind the plate. Stubbs probably offers the more interesting bat of the two along with the higher fantasy ceiling if given a larger share of plate appearances, but Maldonado's defensive prowess should be enough to keep his playing time secure.

Jansen spent the offseason developing a pre-game hitting routine to help him maintain a consistent swing plane and spot flaws in his mechanics, Gregor Chisholm of The Toronto Star reports.

The 24-year-old came up through the minors with a reputation as a bat-first catcher, but he spent last season focused on improving his defense and pitch framing. His .639 OPS reflected the lack of attention he was giving that side of his game, but Jansen now hits a weighted ball off a tee as part of his pre-game preparations. "I've always taken hitting very seriously, but I've always felt like I just didn't need tee work," Jansen said Tuesday morning. "I just wanted to get my timing down, that was the most important thing for me, until I went into this off-season and developed. I like to hit off a tee now, I actually want to, and I need it. I'm starting to understand my body more and my swing." He posted a .275/.390/.473 slash line through 88 games for Triple-A Buffalo in 2018, and a return to something close to that level of production would likely allow Jansen to seize the No. 1 job behind the plate for Toronto rather than working in a timeshare with Reese McGuire.

Athletics manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday that he doesn't expect Murphy (knee) to make his Cactus League debut until March 2 versus the Cubs, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Athletics are bringing Murphy along slowly this spring after he underwent a minor cleanup procedure for his left knee back in October. Murphy hasn't endured any setbacks following the surgery and has been taking part in catching drills since reporting to camp, so he should be ready to go for Opening Day once he gets a few spring games under his belt. After posting an .899 OPS over 60 plate appearances in his first taste of the majors last season, Murphy would offer some intriguing upside in 2020 if he can stay healthy and avoid falling into a timeshare behind the dish.

Perez will hit but won't catch in the Royals' first handful of spring games, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Perez has been practicing without restrictions after missing all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Royals will be careful not to overwork him early, but it appears that he'll have plenty of time to be ready for Opening Day. Whether or not he'll handle his typically heavy workload behind the plate early in the regular season remains to be seen.

Thaiss will get the majority of his work at first base, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Although Thaiss spent time in the Dominican Republic this winter working at third base, the signing of Anthony Rendon has rendered the 24-year-old's services at the hot corner mostly unnecessary. Instead, Thaiss will focus on improving at first base, where he logged 13 games (as opposed to 43 games at third base) last season.

Higashioka is the front-runner to back up Gary Sanchez at catcher, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Higashioka spent much of last season in the minors, hitting .278 with 20 home runs and 56 RBI with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Though he has hit only .164 in 146 career major-league at-bats, the Yankees are optimistic that the 29-year-old is capable of holding down the No. 2 backstop role behind Sanchez. Higashioka will be competing for the spot with a host of veterans -- including Chris Iannetta, Erik Kratz and Josh Thole -- but strong defense, tenure in the organization and a lack of minor-league options are certainly factors working in his favor.

Grandal (calf) was able to catch Wednesday, Scot Gregor of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.

Grandal came into camp with a mild calf strain and is expected to miss the first few Cactus League games. Initial reports indicated that his start to the regular season wasn't at risk, and the fact that he's already able to catch at the start of camp appears to back that up.

Grandal will miss the first week of Cactus League contests with a mild calf strain, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

The issue doesn't appear likely to threaten Grandal's Opening Day availability, though it would obviously be preferable for a 31-year-old catcher to enter the season without any injury worries. Grandal hasn't hit the injured list since April of 2016 and has played in 140 and 153 games over the last two years.

McGuire was arrested last weekend for the exposure of sexual organs and given notice to appear in court March 16 in Clearwater, Florida, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The team issued a statement Wednesday morning saying, "The Toronto Blue Jays are aware of the recent police incident involving catcher Reese McGuire. He has been in communication with the Blue Jays and we are working to gather more information. Out of respect for the legal process, neither he nor the club will comment any further at this time." McGuire is expected to compete with Danny Jansen for the primary catcher role in spring training.

Manager Mike Matheny said Wednesday that Perez (elbow) enters spring training without any restrictions, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Matheny noted that the backstop will meet with a doctor Thursday just to confirm that he's made a full recovery from the Tommy John surgery he underwent last March, but all signs point to Perez being available for Cactus League action. Given that he's returning from a major injury, Perez's workload will likely be lighter compared to previous springs, but once the season gets underway, he projects to handle one of the heftier workloads among all catchers. During his last full season in 2018, Perez played in 129 games and slashed .235/.274/.439 with 27 home runs and 80 RBI across 544 plate appearances.