MLB Player News

Sanchez (shoulder) will make his spring debut Friday against the Orioles, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez's spring has started slowly as he recovers from November shoulder surgery, but he'll still have plenty of time to get ready for Opening Day. The Yankees are being cautious after injuries put a big dent in Sanchez's 2018 campaign, limiting him to a .186/.291/.406 line in 89 games.

Garver started at catcher and went 1-for-3 in Sunday's spring training loss to Boston.

Garver missed time in September due to a concussion, but he looks healthy as spring begins. He'll likely occupy the lesser side of a platoon with Jason Castro, which would help boost his batting average, if not his counting stats. Garver could also be the primary catcher early in the year if Castro is slow to return from knee surgery.

Manager Ned Yost said Saturday that Perez will be eased into spring action and may be used primarily as a designated hitter for the first couple of weeks before receiving starts at catcher, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Since hitting the majors in 2011, Perez has consistently shouldered one of the heavier workloads among all catchers, so it makes sense for the Royals to limit his reps behind the dish in mostly meaningless exhibition contests. Perez will still be able to get plenty of at-bats during Cactus League play as a DH and shouldn't have trouble settling into a rhythm at the plate once Opening Day arrives.

Stassi believes he found the root cause of his offensive fade over the second half of 2018, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Stassi was a surprise contributor in 2018, when he opened with nine extra-base hits over his first 74 plate appearances on his way to a .787 OPS in the first half. Opposing pitchers adjusted and Stassi faded to a .485 OPS after the All-Star break, forcing the Astros to add Martin Maldonado and move Stassi to third on the depth chart. The problem, according to Stassi, is that he'd "come out" of his legs in his batting stance and, therefore, was unable to cover all parts of the strike zone. The 27-year-old returns in 2019 as the primary backup to Robinson Chirinos and must discover a way to sustain offense for the full season.

Moore signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Thursday which includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of FancredSports.com reports.

Moore spent the majority of last season at Triple-A, hitting just .219/.260/.347 in 58 games with Durham. The veteran backstop owns a career .199/.239/.312 slash line across parts of nine major-league seasons (104 games).

Sanchez (shoulder) will get back to playing in games during the second week of the spring training schedule, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

The backstop underwent shoulder surgery in November, and though he's already through the biggest part of his rehab, the Yankees are still planning to ease him back into game action. It doesn't seem like there's any reason for concern in terms of Sanchez's health. Barring any extraneous circumstances, he expects to be ready by Opening Day with the hope of bouncing back following a disappointing season in which he slashed just .186/.291/.406 with 18 home runs and 53 RBI.

Collins will begin the 2019 season at Triple-A Charlotte, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Collins has followed a traditional path through the organization and will be one step below MLB. The White Sox are still working with him defensively, but as a team in rebuild mode, they can expose him to the majors without much concern. At the plate, Collins bashed 17 home runs each of the last two seasons and has elite on-base skills.

Perez (hamstring) said Friday that he's "completely" ready to go for spring training, Juan C. Toribio of MLB.com reports.

After being acquired from the Diamondbacks on July 31, Perez had a brief, but productive run as the Rays' top catcher before his season came to an end in late August when he strained his left hamstring. He was cleared to return to action for a couple of winter-ball games in Puerto Rico and experienced no setbacks in those contests, giving him full confidence in his health heading into the spring. Perez will likely work as the Rays' No. 2 backstop in 2019 after the team traded for Mike Zunino earlier in the offseason.

Thaiss earned an invitation to the Angels' major-league camp Friday.

Thaiss played 85 games for Triple-A Salt Lake last season, posting a mediocre .277/.328/.457 line in 85 games. That's not great for a first baseman, and he's unlikely to make the big-league roster out of camp, but he'll be just an injury or two away from making his debut once the season gets underway.

Raleigh received an invitation to major-league spring training Thursday, TJ Cotterill of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Raleigh, the 90th overall pick in the 2018 draft, played well in his first taste of professional baseball, compiling a .901 OPS in 166 plate appearances for short-season Everett. He'll now be rewarded with a chance to play in front of the major-league brass, though he'll likely spend much of the season with Low-A West Virginia or High-A Modesto in order to get more seasoning against professional pitching.