Ballesteros (personal) is expected to report to spring camp Saturday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

After working through visa issues that have delayed his entry into the United States, Ballesteros will finally be able to begin preparing for the regular season. The 22-year-old's poor defense will likely keep him from starting behind the plate with the Cubs, but after slashing .298/.394/.474 across 66 regular-season plate appearances last year, he could earn a job as Chicago's primary DH.

Alvarez isn't expected to see game action this spring until the second week of the Grapefruit League schedule, Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic report.

The Mets are bringing a number of key position players along slowly this spring, including Luis Robert, Jorge Polanco and Brett Baty (hamstring). Alvarez underwent thumb surgery right after the end of last season, which explains the team's caution with its starting catcher, but the 24-year-old appeared to be fully healthy when he reported to camp. The Mets are hoping that good health extends into the regular season -- Alvarez played only 76 games in 2025, his lowest total in three years since becoming a big-league regular.

Herrera (elbow) did outfield drills in Cardinals camp Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The catchers were working on pop time drills and throws to second base, something Herrera is not yet cleared for as he returns from surgery to remove bone spurs from his right elbow. The plan is for Herrera to return to catcher in 2026 after the elbow issue limited him to designated hitter for the final few months of last season. He did play four games in left field in 2025, and if catching doesn't work out, Herrera could give the outfield a try again or possibly first base.

Del Castillo said Monday that he expects to be sidelined for around one month due to his left calf injury, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

While Del Castillo is hopeful that he'll be able to play in at least one Cactus League game or exhibition before the beginning of the regular season, the extended time he'll miss this spring could end up costing him a spot on the Opening Day roster. Arizona is expected to head into the season with Gabriel Moreno and James McCann as its top two catchers, so Del Castillo would merely provide a third option at the position and would likely see most of his playing time at designated hitter. Because the 26-year-old still has a pair of minor-league options remaining, the Diamondbacks may prefer to option Del Castillo to Triple-A Reno, which would allow him to play on a more regular basis once he overcomes the calf issue.

Realmuto is an option to bat cleanup in 2026, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Manager Rob Thomson considers Alec Bohm the favorite for the role, and it sounds like Adolis Garcia is in contention as well. Realmuto enters his age-35 campaign in fairly evident decline, considering his OPS has dropped steadily in each of the past four seasons, but the possibility of hitting fourth in Philadelphia's lineup at least gives him some upside as a late-round catcher option in fantasy drafts.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that Ballesteros (personal) isn't expected to report to camp until next weekend at the soonest, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The Cubs are short on catching depth for the early part of camp, as Ballesteros and non-roster invitee Christian Bethancourt continue to work through visa issues that have delayed their arrival in the United States. A poor defender, Ballesteros likely won't be counted on to make frequent starts behind the plate with the Cubs in 2026, but he's an impact bat who could push his way into the everyday lineup as a designated hitter. Ballesteros didn't look overmatched in his first exposure to big-league pitching last season, slashing .298/.394/.474 with a 13.6 percent walk rate and 18.2 percent strikeout rate over his 66 regular-season plate appearances for Chicago.

The Mets claimed Rortvedt off waivers Sunday.

Rortvedt has been continually on the move during the offseason, and he's now been claimed via waivers for a third time since the beginning of November. The 28-year-old likely won't have much roster security with the Mets since Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens are locked in as the big club's top catchers.

Ballesteros has not arrived at spring training yet due to a visa issue, but manager Craig Counsell said he is "expected shortly," Sarah Barber of Sports Illustrated reports.

Ballesteros has yet to receive clearance to travel from his native Venezuela, but Counsell downplayed the issue and said he's not worried at this point about the delay. It's an important spring for the 22-year-old catching prospect, who debuted for the Cubs last season and posted an impressive .868 OPS across 20 games. Ballesteros is the favorite at this point to serve as the Cubs' top DH option in 2026, and he could mix in some behind the plate in relief of Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya.

Alvarez said Friday that he lost 8-to-10 pounds this offseason after changing his diet, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

Alvarez also added that he worked with director of hitting Jeff Albert in the offseason and plans to keep the batting stance he used down the stretch last season. The young catcher was demoted to Triple-A Syracuse for a while after struggling, and when he returned he went back to his old stance and slashed .276/.360/.561 with eight home runs in his final 40 games. Still just 24, Alvarez is a viable candidate to take a step forward in 2026. He underwent right thumb UCL surgery after the season but reported to spring training at full health.

The Cardinals could explore using Herrera (elbow) in left field or at first base if he's unable to stick at catcher, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Herrera was limited to designated hitter duties for the final few months of last season due to defensive issues and also a lingering elbow injury that he had surgically corrected in November. The Cardinals gave Herrera a list of things to work on over the offseason in order to improve his game preparation and game management, and they're optimistic his throwing will improve after surgery. If a return to catcher ultimately isn't in the cards, Herrera could be tried out in left field -- where he played four games last season -- or at first base. Herrera is being eased into throwing and hitting in camp but is expected to be fully healthy for Opening Day.