MLB Player News

Murphy has gone 2-for-7 with a double and three strikeouts over his first three Cactus League games.

Murphy was signed in the offseason to back up Patrick Bailey at catcher. Murphy has played no more than 97 games in a season in his major-league career. He's often hit well in a backup role, but Joey Bart (3-for-9) and Blake Sabol (1-for-8) are also options to fill that spot to begin 2024. More clarity should be available once the Giants trim down their spring roster, though it appears Murphy's experience is favored to win out over Bart, who could be waived or traded if he doesn't earn a roster spot.

Salas was re-assigned to minor-league camp by the Padres on Sunday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Just being invited to big-league camp as a 17-year-old was an accomplishment in and of itself for Salas, who went 2-for-7 at the plate during his limited Cactus League opportunities. He's slated to begin the season at Double-A San Antonio after finishing there in 2023. The top prospect slashed .248/.331/.421 with nine home runs over 66 games across three levels last season.

Moreno went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and two RBI in Sunday's spring game against the Brewers.

After going 1-for-7 over his first three Cactus League games, Moreno made an impact with his bat the fourth time out. He also threw out a runner attempting to steal. Moreno is on track to open the season as Arizona's primary catcher.

Cartaya (back) was optioned to Double-A Tulsa on Sunday.

Cartaya didn't appear in any contests in the Cactus League due to a back injury, and he'll now shift his focus to being ready for the MiLB season. The catcher had a disappointing 2023 campaign, recording a .189/.278/.377 slash line with 19 homers over 355 at-bats in 93 games with Tulsa, and he'll likely have to play better to earn an opportunity to be called up to the major-league roster down the road.

Feduccia was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Feduccia has been unimpressive at the plate this spring, going 1-for-11 with a double, three walks, an RBI and two runs scored while striking out five times over eight contests. The catcher will look to produce a little more consistently at Triple-A in order to earn another shot with the major-league roster.

Herrera isn't starting Sunday's spring game against the Marlins as scheduled due to shoulder pain, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The 23-year-old has just 24 big-league games under his belt but is poised to share catching duties with Willson Contreras in 2024. It's unclear at this point if the injury is expected to affect Herrera's availability for Opening Day.

Cartaya has not participated in spring training games due to back soreness, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that the team expects Cartaya to be ready for the start of the MiLB season. The prospect catcher is coming off a disappointing 2023 season with Double-A Tulsa in which he slashed .189/.278/.377 with 19 home runs and 57 RBI over 403 plate appearances.

Sanchez (hand) could make his Cactus League debut March 14 against the Mariners, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

It's not clear whether the plan is to have him catch or serve as a designated hitter initially, but it will give Sanchez just under two weeks' worth of games to get ready for Opening Day. The 31-year-old has been eased into things this spring after injuring his hand in an offseason workout. Sanchez is projected to serve as Milwaukee's DH and backup catcher.

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.