MLB Player News

Murphy was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Murphy has received brief callups in each of the past three seasons, but he has yet to establish himself at the big-league level. He was beat out for the backup role by Tony Wolters again this season. An injury to Wolters or starter Chris Iannetta would bring Murphy back to the big leagues, and while Coors Field makes him a better fantasy option than other backup catchers, he hasn't done much in his 44 major-league games thus far in his career, hitting just .214. He does at least provide a bit of pop (eight career major-league homers).

Mesoraco went 12-for-37 (.324 average) with a home run during Cactus League play.

Back to full health after three consecutive injury-plagued seasons, Mesoraco seems to have rediscovered the form at the plate that made him an All-Star in 2014. Tempting as it might be for the Reds to get his bat in the lineup on a regular basis, Mesoraco has proven unable to hold up to a full-time workload, so manager Bryan Price will likely continue to deploy the backstop only a few times per week behind primary starter and reigning National League Gold Glove winner Tucker Barnhart. With that in mind, Mesoraco warrants interest mostly in DFS formats rather than season-long leagues.

The Phillies designated Rupp for assignment Sunday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

It became apparent earlier in the spring that the Phillies intended to proceed with Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp as their two catchers once camp broke, so the team will now remove Rupp from its 40-man roster after failing to find a trade partner for the backstop. The Phillies will still have up to 10 days to try and trade Rupp, but if no deal emerges, he'll likely be exposed to waivers and could be claimed by another club looking to add experienced catching depth to its stable.

Caratini was informed Saturday that he made the Cubs' Opening Day roster, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

In a surprise move, Caratini will open the season as the Cubs' backup catcher. The 24-year-old backstop was expected to open the season in the minors, but a strong showing in camp (.243/.391/.378 across 46 plate appearances) prompted the Cubs to keep him over veteran Chris Gimenez. The youngster isn't expected to see regular playing time unless Willson Contreras suffers an injury, so it's still possible he'll head back to the minors for some more consistent playing time if necessary.

Stallings was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday.

Stallings unsurprisingly failed to crack the Opening Day roster with Francisco Cervelli and Elias Diaz making the team as the two catchers. The 28-year-old has only appeared in 10 major-league games over the course of his career and will continue to serve as organizational depth moving forward.

Realmuto (back) will not be ready for Opening Day and could begin the season on the disabled list, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

According to manager Don Mattingly, it's "highly likely" that he will land on the DL, while J.T. Riddle (shoulder) is in the exact same position. There should be a more definitive answer to his timetable in the coming days, but either way, expect Tomas Telis to start the season as Miami's catcher.

Stewart is still in the running for the final spot on the Braves' Opening Day roster, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

With Johan Camargo (back) headed for the DL, the Braves are deciding between an additional utility player like Danny Santana, or a third catcher in Stewart, which would allow the team to use Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki as late-game pinch hitters. For his part, Stewart has had a decent spring in his limited opportunities, going 4-for-12, but the 36-year-old is highly unlikely to see enough playing time to have any real fantasy value even if he does win the job.

Nido was optioned to minor-league camp Friday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

This comes as no surprise, as Travis d'Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki are firmly entrenched as the Mets' top two catchers and Nido has yet to play above Double-A. He will likely head to Triple-A Las Vegas for the minor-league season and then join the big-league club when rosters expand in September, if injuries don't create a spot for him back in New York sooner than that.

Manager Andy Green said that Hedges will be okay after being hit by a pitch on the left calf Thursday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic San Diego reports.

The HBP forced Hedges from Thursday's contest, but it doesn't appear to be anything that'll affect him moving forward. The Padres could opt to hold Hedges out of their next spring training game Friday against the Rangers as a precaution but beyond that, Hedges should be back behind the plate in the near future.

Hedges was removed from Thursday's game after being struck by a pitch.

Nate Easley replaced Hedges as a pinch runner in the top of the sixth inning. Consider Hedges day-to-day with more information to follow on his status in the coming hours.