MLB Player News

Realmuto has hit .308/.355/.498 with one homer through nine spring games.

Spring stats shouldn't move the needle on a player's value very much, but it's still good to see that Realmuto looks fully ready to go as he heads into his ninth major-league season. His .263 batting average last season represented his lowest mark since 2015, but his .782 OPS and 17 homers were still quite good for a catcher. He also helped his fantasy value with 13 steals, a career high and the highest for any catcher since Russell Martin stole 18 bases in 2008.

Knizner is expected to start at catcher more frequently in 2022, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Knizner's increased role is designed in part to afford 39-year-old Yadier Molina more rest in his last major-league campaign. While the plan is to have Knizner play more, he'll have to hit better than the .174/.281/.236 slash line he compiled in 185 plate appearances last season to maintain the added time. The 27-year-old still shouldn't be expected to play enough to make much impact in fantasy outside of two-catcher formats.

Ruiz is hitting .125 (2-for-16) so far in Grapefruit League action with one double and a 1:2 BB:K.

The contact is nice to see, but it's not a surprise after Ruiz posted a 9.4 percent strikeout rate in 96 big-league plate appearances between the Dodgers and Nationals last season. The 23-year-old is being counted on to seize the top catching job in Washington this season, and a handful of spring at-bats won't jeopardize his spot on the depth chart after he slashed .310/.377/.616 with 21 homers and a 30:33 BB:K across 72 games at Triple-A in 2021.

Adams should open the season as the Nationals' backup catcher behind Keibert Ruiz, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

Acquired from Toronto last season in a trade for Brad Hand, Adams posted an .887 OPS in 90 plate appearances with Washington after slashing .239/.371/.487 with seven homers in 35 games for Triple-A Buffalo last year prior to the trade. The 25-year-old's power and patience profile could give him some modest fantasy value in deep NL-only formats.

Herrera was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Thursday.

Herrera spent the majority of the 2021 season with Double-A Springfield, where he hit .231/.346/.408 across 437 plate appearances. He was promoted to Triple-A Memphis to close the campaign, though he appeared in only one game at the level. Given that, it's no surprise that he isn't starting the season in St. Louis, but he could be in line for his big-league debut if either Yadier Molina or Andrew Knizner suffer an injury.

The Phillies optioned Sands to minor-league camp Thursday.

Philadelphia will have two extra active roster spots available through May 1 due to the compressed spring training, but Sands won't stick around as the team's No. 3 catcher behind J.T. Realmuto and Garrett Stubbs. Rather than Sands, Rafael Marchan looks to be the next man up at catcher if something should happen to the top two options on the organizational depth chart.

Tromp was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

Tromp inked a minor-league deal with Atlanta in mid-March and will unsurprisingly begin the season at the Triple-A level. He appeared in nine big-league games last year for San Francisco and could receive a promotion in 2022 if Atlanta deals with any injuries behind the plate.

Contreras went 1-for-1 with a walk and a two-run home run in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks.

Contreras is only batting .222 this spring, though his 1.089 OPS is much more impressive. The veteran catcher did not reach a deal with the Cubs before the arbitration deadline earlier this month, so he will have a hearing coming up in the near future. Contreras is under team control through the end of 2022, though Chicago could of course trade him at some point during the season. For now, he profiles as the team's everyday backstop, with Yan Gomes serving in a reserve role.

McCann (back) will start at catcher and bat eighth in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

Just as manager Buck Showalter said would be the case, McCann is ready to go after he was sidelined for game action over the past week while dealing with back soreness. The missed time shouldn't affect McCann's preparation for Opening Day. He's projected to serve as the Mets' clear No. 1 catcher in 2022 after the team didn't add much in the way of competition during the offseason.

The Mets sent Alvarez to minor-league spring training Monday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez was in big-league camp with the Mets but never had a realistic chance of making the Opening Day roster. The 20-year-old, who is New York's top prospect, spent most of the 2021 campaign at High-A Brooklyn, where he hit .247/.351/.538 with 22 home runs, 58 RBI and six stolen bases in 84 games. He's likely to start out 2022 with Double-A Binghamton given his success at Brooklyn last season.