MLB Player News

Ruiz (illness) is starting behind the plate and batting third in Friday's spring game against the Astros, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Ruiz sat out the past couple days due to an illness but will rejoin the lineup for Friday's contest. The 25-year-old is looking to take another step forward in 2024 after he posted a .260/.308/.409 slash line with 18 homers in 136 games last season.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton indicated Thursday that Grandal resides at the top of the catching depth chart but will need to have his workload limited, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

While it sounds like Shelton technically views Grandal as the starting catcher, he noted that Grandal is 35 years old and catching 100 games this season is "not going to happen." Shelton also indicated that the No. 2 catcher role is undecided, but whoever wins the job is "going to be in tandem a little bit" with the veteran. Grandal finished with just a .234/.309/.339 slash line over 405 plate appearances with the White Sox last season and doesn't make for a very appealing fantasy option.

Sanchez (hand) will take batting practice Wednesday, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Sanchez will be getting in his first BP of the spring, as he's slightly behind the Brewers' other position players in camp due to the right hand issue he suffered in an offseason workout. The 31-year-old -- who previously fractured the hand in September -- caught a live batting practice session Tuesday. At this stage, his ability to swing the bat comfortably may be of greater concern than his ability to play defense.

Ruiz is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox due to an illness, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

A bug may be making its way around the clubhouse, as Nick Senzel is also under the weather. Ruiz, who is 1-for-4 in two games so far this spring, should be considered day-to-day.

Herrera is in line to share the catching duties with Willson Contreras in 2024, Lynn Worthy of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Herrera, 23, has a clear path to the backup role after Andrew Knizner signed with the Rangers in the offseason. Herrera is focusing on building rapport with the Cardinals' overhauled pitching staff this spring. Considering Contreras is turning 32 in May, he may see some additional time at designated hitter if Herrera performs well enough to command extra playing time behind the dish.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Realmuto is on track to make his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday versus Atlanta, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto and first baseman Bryce Harper have been spectators for the Phillies' first four spring games, but neither is dealing with an injury and both are just getting extra time to ramp up before being thrust into action. Because Realmuto will likely shoulder one of the heavier workloads among all catchers in the league during the upcoming season, the Phillies will likely ease up on his usage during the spring and instead hand Garrett Stubbs, Rafael Marchan (back) and Cam Gallagher more opportunities behind the dish. Largely because of the high volume of starts he's historically handled, Realmuto will likely continue to be drafted as a top-five fantasy catcher, even though he may be more of a neutral rather than a positive asset in batting average these days after he hit .252 while striking out at a career-worst 25.7 percent clip in 2023.

Gallagher signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Sunday that includes an invitation to major-league camp, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Rafael Marchan (back) is a bit banged up early in camp, so the Phillies elected to bring aboard Gallagher for some extra catching depth. Gallagher appeared in 56 games for Cleveland last season but was awful at the plate with a .126/.154/.168 slash line and 30.9 percent strikeout rate.

Marchan is battling through some lower-back discomfort, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

It looks to be a day-to-day issue. Marchan is third on the Phillies' catching depth chart and has an option year remaining, so he's slated to open the year at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Sanchez suffered a hand injury during a workout several weeks ago, which was the reason for the hold up with his contract, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

It was originally believed that Sanchez's right wrist -- which he fractured in September -- was what delayed the finalization of his deal with the Brewers. The 31-year-old backstop has already been cleared for baseball activities, so his hand (and wrist) shouldn't prevent him from seeing playing time during spring training, but it may be something to monitor going forward.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Thursday that Sanchez (wrist) has been cleared for baseball activities but will need time to ramp up before playing in games, Sophia Minnaert of Bally Sports Wisconsin reports.

Sanchez's signing with the Brewers was delayed about two weeks due to concerns about his right wrist -- which he fractured in September -- that cropped up during his physical. He ultimately had the guaranteed money in his contract reduced from $7 million to $3 million once the deal was finalized. However, the injury isn't severe enough to prevent Sanchez from working out, and it shouldn't be too long before he's cleared for Cactus League action. The 31-year-old is projected to back up William Contreras at catcher and could also see a significant number of starts at designated hitter.