Murphy will undergo an MRI on Sunday after experiencing back spasms, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It's not believed to be a serious injury, but it's still a concerning development for the veteran catcher, who was limited to 12 games last season due to a knee injury. Murphy is expected to serve as San Francisco's No. 2 catcher this season, but he has played in just 64 contests across the past three campaigns.

Herrera is out of minor-league options as he prepares to compete for the backup catcher job in spring training, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

That Herrera is out of options gives him an advantage in the quest to back up primary catcher Gabriel Moreno. Herrera's advanced defense is another edge over Adrian Del Castillo, who crushed the ball during his MLB debut last season. It's likely the Diamondbacks have Del Castillo head back to Triple-A Reno to hone his defense, while Herrera, who has earned trust in the Arizona clubhouse, grabs a roster spot for Opening Day.

The Phillies plan to give Realmuto fewer starts at catcher this season in order to preserve his body, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Manager Rob Thomson has already spoken to Realmuto about the plan and the two are on the same page. While there is no target number of games for Realmuto to handle behind the plate, he said Thursday that his body "feels as good right now as it ever has" and he believes he can start 120-plus games at catcher, if needed. The Phillies are expected to give Realmuto some starts at designated hitter and first base to keep his bat in the lineup while reducing some wear and tear on him, and they've even floated the possibility of using him in left field on occasion. Slated to turn 34 in March, Realmuto was limited to 99 games in 2024 due to knee surgery, and while he remained productive at the plate, he swiped just two bags after racking up 37 steals on 43 attempts over the prior two seasons. Realmuto blamed the knee for his lack of aggressiveness on the bases, saying he "wasn't able to be as explosive," but he feels like he's "in a good spot" now.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday that Smith is "a little behind" due to an ankle issue, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith has been running on an anti-gravity treadmill, but it's not clear when he might be ready to play in Cactus League contests. He has a tighter window to get ready than most other players this spring since the Dodgers have a March 18-19 series versus the Cubs in Tokyo, but there doesn't seem to be any worry at this point that Smith might be unavailable for those games.

Alvarez retooled his swing mechanics at Maven Baseball Lab this offseason on the recommendation of J.D. Martinez, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports. "I think I can put the ball in the air more, hit the ball to the opposite way more," Alvarez said this week. "I'm very powerful; I don't have to pull every pitch."

The 23-year-old catcher is coming off a disappointing 2024 campaign at the plate, managing just 11 homers and a .710 OPS in 100 big-league games after slugging 25 long balls over 123 games for the Mets in 2023. Alvarez's decline was fueled by an increase in his groundball rate (career-high 52.2 percent) and decrease in his hard-hit rate (30.8 percent, nearly a five percent drop from the year before). While at the lab, Alvarez focused on tweaking his stance and lower-body movement to eliminate a tendency to pull off the ball rather than staying square and driving pitches back up the middle. "He wants to be a complete hitter, not just a power hitter," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "In order for anyone to be a complete hitter, you need to use the whole field." Alvarez's career .221 batting average in the majors doesn't suggest he'll suddenly be challenging for batting titles, but there is plenty of room for improvement in his 2024 performance.

Manager Pat Murphy said Wednesday that he expects Quero (shoulder) to be playing in Cactus League games at some point this spring, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Quero had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder last April but estimated Wednesday that he's at "75 to 80 percent" physically. The catching prospect was limited to just one game with Triple-A Nashville before getting injured and is likely headed back to Nashville to begin the 2025 campaign.

Giants manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday that Murphy (knee) has received full clearance to begin spring training, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Signed to a two-year, $8 million contract last winter, Murphy had most of his first season in San Francisco wiped out after he sprained the MCL in his left knee in early May. He was able to avoid knee surgery, but Murphy didn't make enough progress in his recovery to head out on a rehab assignment at any point after landing on the injured list. With a full offseason to recover, Murphy finally looks to have healed up from the knee injury, and he should be in position to open the season as the Giants' No. 2 catcher. The right-handed-hitting Murphy could end up filling the short side of a platoon behind the plate with the switch-hitting Patrick Bailey, who was far more effective against righties than lefties in 2024.

The Brewers signed Seigler to a minor-league contract Nov. 19 that includes an invitation to spring training.

Seigler was a first-round pick of the Yankees back in 2018 but has yet to advance past the Double-A level, having slashed .234/.350/.398 with 12 homers and 29 steals at Double-A Somerset during the 2024 minor-league season. He was a full-time second baseman last season after primarily being a catcher previously. Seigler will likely begin the 2025 season at Triple-A Nashville.

Stubbs is not the favorite to win the Phillies' backup catcher job, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Stubbs has backed up J.T. Realmuto for three straight seasons, offering good vibes in the clubhouse but very little at the plate, slashing .222/.305/.324. He'd probably do a capable job in that same role this season, but 25-year-old Rafael Marchan is now out of options and has a better chance to be part of the team's future.

Marchan is favored to win the Phillies' backup catcher job this spring, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Marchan is a decent enough prospect on both sides of the ball who's been knocking on the door ever since 2020, when he appeared in three games and hit his first professional home run at any level. He hasn't done anything to force his way onto the roster, however, hitting .238/.328/.328 at the Triple-A level across parts of four seasons. The 25-year-old is now out of options, which could give him the leg up over career backup Garrett Stubbs, who offers little more than clubhouse leadership. With J.T. Realmuto now in his age-34 season and set to be a free agent, Marchan could be auditioning to be the catcher of the future this spring.