MLB Player News

Amaya (foot) took reps at catcher and hit during a simulated game Saturday and could make his Cactus League debut in the near future, LaMond Pope and Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Amaya looks to be nearing the finish line in his recovery from the Lisfranc fracture he sustained to his left foot while playing at Double-A Tennessee in mid-September. The 23-year-old backstop, who had already missed the first three months of the season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, served exclusively as a designated hitter for Tennessee but was expected to be ready to handle reps behind the plate in the Arizona Fall League had the foot injury not nixed those plans. Amaya said that he felt comfortable while making throws behind the plate Saturday, and his foot presented no complications while he was hitting. Once he makes his spring debut, Amaya should be in the clear for the start of the minor-league season in early April.

Pineda has been diagnosed with a displacement at the tip of his right pinky finger, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Pineda was struck by a pitch in a spring game Saturday. This shouldn't be all that much of a setback, as he is slated to catch in a back-field game at Nationals camp Sunday. The injury is an issue for him with throwing but not hitting.

Pineda will undergo X-rays after being struck by a pitch on the hand in Saturday's spring game, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

The tests figure to reveal whether or not Pineda will miss any time with the injury. His status will be updated again when more information is released.

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."