MLB Player News

The Cardinals' "stance internally has consistently been" that Pages is the team's starting catcher, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Ivan Herrera is attempting to return to catcher following offseason elbow surgery and got his first start behind the plate Sunday. However, it seems most of his playing time early on in the season will likely come at designated hitter. That leaves the catcher spot open for the defensively superior Pages, who slashed .230/.272/.363 with 11 home runs over 112 contests in 2025.

The Dodgers reassigned Robinson to minor-league camp Monday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Robinson logged two plate appearances in the majors with the Dodgers last season, but after re-signing with the organization on a minor-league deal over the winter, he never seemed like a realistic candidate to crack the Opening Day roster. The journeyman backstop is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City and will likely need either Will Smith or Dalton Rushing to succumb to an injury before he gets another big-league call-up.

Hunt is dealing with an oblique injury and has been shut down from activity, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Hunt signed a minor-league pact with San Diego in December and has been taking part in big-league camp, though he hasn't seen action in any spring games. The 28-year-old isn't on the team's 40-man roster and wasn't expected to be a serious contender for an Opening Day job even prior to suffering the injury. San Diego added fellow catcher Brendan Durfee to major-league camp to take Hunt's place.

Atlanta reassigned Tromp to minor-league camp Sunday.

With Tromp sent out, Atlanta is left with Jonah Heim, Jair Camargo and Sandy Leon as its backup options at catcher behind Drake Baldwin in big-league camp while Sean Murphy (hip) remains out. Tromp is expected to open the 2026 campaign at Triple-A Gwinnett after he spent most of the past season in the minors.

Smith went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional run and a double Thursday in a Cactus League victory over the White Sox.

Smith hit his -- and the Dodgers' -- first homer of the spring when he belted a solo shot to left-center field in the fifth inning. The All-Star catcher's previous long ball came in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the World Series last season and proved to be the championship-winning RBI. Smith hasn't missed a beat, as he's slashing .556/.556/1.000 so far this spring. He's locked in for another year as Los Angeles' starting catcher.

Mack went 1-for-3 with a grand slam in the Marlins' Grapefruit League game against the Phillies on Tuesday.

The fifth-inning blast came off minor-league pitcher Andrew Walling, but it was still a statement of intent from Mack that he's not interested in heading back to Triple-A Jacksonville to begin the season. The top catching prospect slashed .252/.323/.463 in 98 games last year with the Jumbo Shrimp, slugging 18 homers, and his defense looks ready for the majors already, although he was charged with a throwing error on a pickoff attempt Tuesday. Mack's biggest hurdle to a spot on the 26-man roster is the fact that Agustin Ramirez and Liam Hicks are ahead of him on the depth chart, but Ramirez still has a lot of work to do on defense to prove he's capable of sticking behind the plate long term. A rough start to 2026 with the glove for the 24-year-old could open the door for Mack to make his MLB debut early in the season.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Thursday that Herrera (elbow) will make his first Grapefruit League start at catcher Sunday, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Herrera is making his spring training debut Thursday at designated hitter, and he will be behind the plate this weekend. The 25-year-old was limited to designated hitter for the final few months of last season due to bone spurs that he had surgically removed from his elbow in November. Herrera is attempting to return to catcher this season, though it's unlikely he will be used on a full-time basis at the position.

Herrera (elbow) will make his Grapefruit League debut Thursday at designated hitter, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Herrera has been slow-played by the Cardinals this spring after having surgery in November to remove bone spurs from his right elbow. While he is ready to go with the bat, it's uncertain when he will be cleared to catch in games. Herrera is attempting to return to catcher after the elbow issue and defensive concerns limited him to designated hitter for the final few months of last season.

Pozo drew a start at first base in Tuesday's game against the Nationals, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Pozo got one start at first base for the Cardinals last season and has played there a decent amount in the minors. Proving he could be a backup to Alec Burleson at the position would give him a better chance to make the Opening Day roster, as the Cardinals have a crowded depth chart at catcher.

Kelly went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Padres.

Kelly connected in the fifth inning for his first home run of the exhibition slate. The veteran catcher got off to a scorching hot start in 2025 before eventually cooling off, but he still finished with a respectable .761 OPS and 17 home runs across 111 regular-season games. Heading into 2026, Kelly should be Chicago's top backstop again with Miguel Amaya serving in a complementary role. Amaya dealt with a myriad of injuries last year and could push for a larger chunk of playing time this season if he stays healthy, which would allow Kelly to stay fresher but might reduce his fantasy ceiling.