MLB Player News

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted this past weekend that Smith will not DH quite as much in 2023, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

That's because the Dodgers brought in J.D. Martinez over the winter to fill that role on pretty much an everyday basis. Smith drew 24 starts out of the DH spot in 2022, compared to 107 starts at catcher. He could potentially push more toward 120 starts behind the plate in 2023. "The one thing I don't want Will to hear right now is he's gonna get less at-bats," Roberts said. "We're gonna manage it, monitor it and see how it goes."

Alvarez will likely begin the season with Triple-A Syracuse, Abbey Mastracco of The New York Daily News reports.

The Mets have two more experienced catchers ahead of him on the depth chart in Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido, so the club figures to send Alvarez back to the minors to work on his defense and gain some confidence. The 21-year-old is fully recovered from October ankle surgery however, and a big spring could force the organization to re-consider its plans for the top prospect. "You always want players to make you think about what if?" manager Buck Showalter said Friday. "Not everybody in camp can make the club, that's just how it is. But we know Nido and Omar are going to be our catchers and we'll see where Francisco fits in that mix." Even if he isn't on the Opening Day roster, Alvarez figures to be back in the majors at some point this season, potentially seeing at-bats at DH in addition to his work behind the plate.

Amaya (foot) said Thursday he has yet to be fully medically cleared, though he has resumed some baseball activities, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Amaya suffered a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot last season with Double-A Tennessee. There is no word yet on whether he'll be ready for the start of the minor-league season, but he has begun catching bullpen sessions, throwing to bases and is cleared to hit -- all good signs. The 23-year-old catching prospect slashed .278/.379/.485 in Double-A last season and will likely be bumped up to Triple-A in 2023.

Bart is not guaranteed to make the Giants' camp out of spring training, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bart had a rough year in 2022, logging a paltry .215/.296/.364 slash line with 11 home runs and 25 RBI in 97 games. He'll need to show some growth in the spring to maintain his place this season. Veterans Roberto Perez and Austin Wynns are in the mix to make the Opening Day roster, as is Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol -- a strong spring from two of those players could see Bart open the campaign at Triple-A Sacramento.

Sabol is being viewed as a catcher in Giants' camp, manager Gabe Kapler told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle on Wednesday.

Sabol played all over the diamond in college and has split time pretty evenly between catcher and the outfield in the minors, but the Giants plan to use him exclusively behind the plate, at least for now. The 25-year-old was taken by the Reds in the Rule 5 Draft this winter before being flipped to the Giants. He must be carried on the Giants' roster or be offered back to the Pirates.

Stephenson is expected to catch about 65 games for the Reds this season, manager David Bell told Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer on Thursday.

The plan is for Stephenson to catch four out of every 10 games and also make three starts at designated hitter and two at first base during that span. Bell said that the team already has every game planned out, although circumstances can obviously change. Just 65 games seems like an awfully low number for your starting catcher, but it should certainly give Stephenson a better shot to stay healthy after he was limited to just 50 contests in 2022. It's welcomed news for his fantasy outlook. The Reds also have Curt Casali, Luke Maile and Austin Romine, so they have other options at catcher. Stephenson's season ended last year with a fractured clavicle, but he enters camp without restrictions.

Plawecki signed a minor-league contract with the Pirates on Sunday that includes an invitation to big-league spring training, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Though he won't be heading into spring training as a member of the Pirates' 40-man roster, Plawecki may be in the best position to make the Opening Day squad as the No. 2 backstop behind Austin Hedges. Beyond Hedges, prospect Endy Rodriguez is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster, but the 22-year-old doesn't have any prior big-league experience and has three minor-league options remaining, making him a strong candidate to head to Triple-A Indianapolis to begin the year. Plawecki, meanwhile, owns a .235/.313/.341 slash line (80 wRC+) over parts of eight seasons in the majors, though he's coming off a rough 2022 campaign in which he spent time with both the Red Sox and Rangers organizations.

Wynns, who was outrighted off the Giants' 40-man roster Jan. 12, will attend MLB spring training.

Though he was moved off the Giants' 40-man roster during the offseason, the four-year MLB veteran didn't elect free agency and ultimately chose to stick around in the organization. He'll likely get the chance to compete for the top backup role behind No. 1 catcher Joey Bart, with fellow non-roster invitee Roberto Perez likely representing his top competition for the gig. Wynns saw action in 66 games for San Francisco in 2022, slashing .259/.313/.358 with three home runs and 21 RBI across 177 plate appearances.

Rodriguez will be on the major-league side of Pirates' camp this spring, per Justice delos Santos of MLB.com.

One of the top position-player prospects in the sport, Rodriguez slashed .323/.407/.590 with 25 home runs and 95 RBI in 125 games last season between High-A Greensboro, Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. The 22-year-old catcher seems doubtful to actually make the Opening Day roster in Pittsburgh, but he is certainly on the fast track to making his MLB debut.

Perez agreed to a contract with the Giants on Sunday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Perez played in just 21 games for Pittsburgh last season before he ruptured his right hamstring and underwent season-ending surgery. The 34-year-old could open 2023 by splitting playing time with Joey Bart, who had a .660 OPS in his first full season as a starter behind the plate last year.