MLB Player News

Alvarez (ankle) will make his first Grapefruit League appearance at catcher Friday against the Nationals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez has been limited to DH duties over the Mets' first handful of spring games as he completes his recovery from October ankle surgery, but the restrictions are ready to be lifted. The 21-year-old top prospect is on track to become a key contributor for New York at some point in 2023, probably after one more short stay at Triple-A Syracuse.

Mets manager Buck Showalter announced that Alvarez (ankle) will likely get a chance to catch in a Grapefruit League game by the end of the week, Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated reports.

The Mets are being cautious with Alvarez after their top prospect underwent ankle surgery in the offseason. The backstop has appeared as a designated hitter in Florida, but he'll likely get a chance to be behind the plate by the end of the week. Alvarez has a chance to be a star fantasy contributor, yet he's likely to begin the 2023 season at Triple-A Syracuse.

Atlanta optioned Tromp to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

Tromp was always viewed as unlikely to make the Opening Day club with Sean Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud making up the backstop tandem for Atlanta in 2023. He'll provides organizational depth at Triple-A but could be first in line for a call-up if Atlanta is without Murphy or d'Arnaud for any period of time.

Herrera will remain in camp with the Cardinals instead of playing for Panama at the World Baseball Classic, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Herrera withdrew from the WBC on Saturday, and he'll now turn his focus on competing for the backup catcher spot behind Willson Contreras. Herrera went 2-for-18 with one RBI, two walks and eight strikeouts across 22 plate appearances in the majors last season. He also hit .274/.381/.402 with six home runs, six stolen bases and 34 RBI in 65 games with Triple-A Memphis. Andrew Knizner is more likely to open the season as the Cardinals' backup catcher, but Herrera will try to force the issue with a strong spring.

Tromp (quadriceps) appeared in a two-inning simulated game Wednesday, Grant McAuley of 92-9 The Game Atlanta reports.

Tromp missed the final month of the 2022 season after he aggravated a left quadriceps strain during a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett, but he reported to camp last week at full health. Though he's one of only three catchers on Atlanta's 40-man roster, Tromp is likely to head back to Gwinnett to begin the season so long as both Sean Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud are both available.

Gomes could be in line for a larger role in 2023 with Willson Contreras moving on to St. Louis in the offseason, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report.

Contreras is out and Tucker Barnhart is in, with Gomes returning to the roster. That gives the Cubs two defensive-minded, veteran catchers who may end up splitting time. That's a different arrangement than past seasons, when Contreras was clearly the top option behind the plate. It could mean more playing time for Gomes, who appeared in 86 games for Chicago last year with an OPS of .625 over 293 plate appearances.

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.