MLB Player News

Jeffers started at catcher and went 1-for-3 in Monday's spring training win over Tampa Bay. It was his first game since minor offseason surgery on his throwing elbow.

Jeffers underwent a procedure to remove "loose bodies" from his throwing elbow and hasn't been limited early in spring training. Nevertheless, it's reassuring to see him behind the plate and healthy ahead of Opening Day. Jeffers had a strong rookie year and should be part of the mix at catcher for the Twins after hitting .273 with a .791 OPS. His outlook for playing time is uncertain since both he and Mitch Garver are right-handed. However, the Twins have made it a point to give catchers adequate rest, so the duo may split playing time even if not in a traditional platoon.

Grandal (knee) ramped up his hitting and throwing Sunday and is expected to return soon, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Grandal recently twisted his right knee during drills and will miss at least the first two spring games due to inflammation, but he appears to be nearing a return. Barring any setbacks, the 32-year-old catcher should still have plenty of time to prepare for Opening Day.

Haase went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Haase is on the outside looking in right now, as he was removed from the 40-man roster and outrighted to Triple-A Toledo last month. The Tigers brought in Wilson Ramos to serve as the primary catcher, and Grayson Greiner and Jake Rogers are vying for the backup role. That leaves Haase with very little fantasy appeal heading into 2021, though he could get a look in the majors if Ramos misses any time due to injury.

Collins will line up behind the plate for Sunday's spring opener against the Brewers, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Yasmani Grandal (knee) is slowed by inflammation and will not appear in the first two Cactus League games. Non-roster invitee Jonathan Lucroy appears to have the edge as the backup to Grandal, so it looks like manager Tony La Russa is evaluating Collins and Yermin Mercedes, who will catch Monday's contest.

Grandal twisted his right knee during drills and will sit for at least the first two spring games until his inflammation subsides, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Catchers come with inherent injury risk, as do players in their early thirties, so this certainly isn't the ideal place for Grandal to be in early in camp. The injury doesn't appear to be a particularly worrisome one, and he still has more than a month to get up to speed by Opening Day, but the worry here is that spring knee issues could foreshadow similar problems throughout the year for a player at his age and position.

Plawecki cleared the intake process Saturday and resumed workouts, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Plawecki was absent from the first few days of camp while on the COVID-19 injured list, though the Red Sox didn't specify whether he had the virus himself or had merely been exposed to someone who did. Whatever the reason, he still has over a month to prepare for Opening Day, so his push for the backup catcher job shouldn't be significantly affected.

Plawecki is going through the intake process to report to camp Thursday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Plawecki missed the start of camp while on the COVID-19 injured list, though it's not clear if he tested positive for the virus himself or had merely been exposed to someone who else who did. In either case, he'll still have over a month to prepare for the upcoming season, so he should be at minimal risk of missing Opening Day.

Murphy (chest) has resumed some baseball activities but hasn't yet started hitting, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Murphy underwent a pair of surgeries during the offseason to address a collapsed lung, and he's had a slight delay to spring training as a result. Assuming his recovery continues to progress smoothly, the catcher still expects to be ready in time for Opening Day.

Huff suffered a grade 2 hamstring strain while running the bases and will be shut down for two weeks, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Huff will rehab for the next two weeks before the team administers an MRI to determine the next steps. He was not expected to break camp with the Rangers and is now doubtful to get any meaningful at-bats in major-league camp. "Obviously it pushes everything back," manager Chris Woodward said. "It may not impact when we would have called him up, it may impact the amount of at-bats he has before we call him up... He still needs to get reps." Huff made his MLB debut last season when Texas fell out of contention, hitting .355 with three home runs and four RBI in 31 at-bats.

Mejia, once considered one of the top catching prospects in all of baseball and part of the Rays' return from the Padres in the Blake Snell trade, has high expectations going into 2021, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Mejia is still just 25 years old and already has one solid big-league season under his belt, having slashed .265/.316/.438 with 21 extra-base hits (11 doubles, two triples, eight home runs) and 22 RBI across 244 plate appearances as a rookie with the Padres in 2019. However, last season was essentially a wash for Mejia, who lost his father in January 2020 and then struggled to a .077/.143/.179 line across 42 plate appearances over a 17-game span. The switch-hitting backstop gets a fresh start in Tampa Bay and looks set to complement to the right-handed Mike Zunino behind the plate.