MLB Player News

The Rockies recalled Fulford from Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

He's taking the roster spot vacated by Mickey Moniak (finger). Fulford was beaten out by Brett Sullivan for the No. 2 catcher job in Colorado but will wind up making the Opening Day roster after all. With three catchers available, the Rockies could give Hunter Goodman more time at designated hitter while Moniak is shelved.

Contreras went 1-for-3 with two walks, a double, three RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 14-2 win against the White Sox.

The 28-year-old carried a hot bat during spring training with three homers and a 1.025 OPS in eight Cactus League games, and he carried over that success into Opening Day. Contreras came to the plate with the bases loaded in the second inning Thursday and cleared them with a double, and he followed with a single and a run scored in the sixth. His offensive production dipped last year with a .754 OPS in 150 regular-season games while playing through a left middle finger fracture, but Contreras is positioned to produce something closer to his career .805 OPS in 2026 now that he's healthy.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Thursday's win over the Pirates.

The 24-year-old catcher went back-to-back with rookie Carson Benge in the sixth inning off Justin Lawrence. Alvarez has been slowed by injuries the last couple seasons and hasn't come close to the 25 homers he launched in his first full big-league season in 2023, but he could be ready to put things together in 2026 if he can stay in the lineup.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in an 8-2 victory versus Arizona on Thursday.

Smith's first RBI came on an infield single in the fifth inning. He followed up that hit with a two-run blast in the seventh frame to cap the scoring in the contest. Smith probably isn't going to challenge for the NL home run crown, but he's been pretty consistent in the long-ball department with between 17 and 25 homers each of the past five regular seasons. He batted .296 across 436 plate appearances during the regular season last year and is one of fantasy's most productive backstops.

Milias will begin the season on the Nationals' 26-man roster, Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie of MLB.com report.

The 28-year-old beat out Harry Ford and Riley Adams for the job of backing up Keibert Ruiz, giving the Nats a rare combo -- two switch-hitting catchers. Milias has seen brief action in the majors in each of the last three seasons but has never seen more than 62 plate appearances in a campaign, amassing a more-than-respectable .276/.340/.396 slash line with two homers and six steals in 49 games.

Heim has secured a spot on Atlanta's Opening Day roster, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

It will likely be a temporary assignment while Sean Murphy (hip) is on the IL, but Heim will back up Drake Baldwin to begin the season. Heim hasn't been able to match his career-best 2023 campaign with the Rangers, and over the last two seasons the 30-year-old switch hitter managed just a .217/.269/.334 slash line.

The Giants named Susac to their Opening Day roster Wednesday.

A Rule 5 Draft selection over the winter, Susac was able to beat out Jesus Rodriguez and non-roster invitee Eric Haase for the No. 2 catcher job during spring training. So long as top backstop Patrick Bailey is healthy, Susac will likely play sparingly, and the Giants will need to stash him on the major-league roster throughout the season, or else he'll have to be offered back to the Athletics. The 24-year-old showed some potential with the bat in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League last season with a .275/.350/.486 slash line to go with 18 home runs and seven stolen bases across 403 plate appearances, though he struck out at a 26.8 percent clip.

The Mets designated Rortvedt for assignment Wednesday.

Rortvedt was never going to make the Mets' roster as long as Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens were healthy, and the team's top two catchers are ready to go for Thursday's opener. The 28-year-old Rortvedt has been claimed off waivers three times already this offseason and could make it four.

The Phillies designated Stubbs for assignment Wednesday.

Stubbs lost out to Rafael Marchan for the Phillies' backup catcher job and is now without a spot on the 40-man roster. The 32-year-old has slashed only .215/.293/.310 in parts of seven big-league seasons, but catching depth is always a commodity so he could be scooped up on waivers.

The Rockies selected Sullivan's contract from Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday.

Sullivan won the backup catcher job behind starter Hunter Goodman. He will get some starts on days Goodman serves as a designated hitter, but Sullivan will mostly operate as a reserve.