MLB Player News

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Barnes passed all concussion testing and is considered day-to-day, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Barnes was fortunate to avoid the concussion after he exited Monday's Cactus League game against the White Sox upon taking a foul tip to his catcher's mask. Roberts suggested that the veteran backstop would likely remain out of the lineup for a couple more days before checking back in behind the dish by the end of the week.

Narvaez agreed Tuesday with the Brewers on a one-year, $5 million contract to avoid arbitration, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

With Narvaez now under contract for 2022, he'll begin preparing for his third season as the Brewers' No. 1 backstop. He should remain one of the better fantasy options at catcher after hitting .266 with 11 home runs, 54 runs and 49 RBI across 445 plate appearances in 2021 en route to earning his first All-Star nod.

Barnes left Monday's exhibition against the White Sox early after taking a foul tip to his catcher's mask, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Skipper Dave Roberts noted after the game that Barnes was feeling "a little foggy" after the foul tip, so the team decided to exercise caution by removing him. He'll be considered day-to-day moving forward and will be re-evaluated Tuesday, per Toribio.

O'Hoppe was sent to minor-league camp Monday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

O'Hoppe emerged as the Phillies' top catching prospect last season and should eventually push for a roster spot. He's not yet on the 40-man roster, however, a group which contains four other catchers, so it was never likely that he'd break camp in the majors.

Wynns signed with the Phillies as a non-roster invitee Saturday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

With a career .216/.255/.326 slash line in 115 major-league games, Wynns hasn't shown himself to be anything more than an organizational depth option behind the plate. That's the role he'll likely fill for the Phillies, a team that already has four catchers on the 40-man roster.

Diaz, whose arrival to big-league spring training has been delayed by visa issues, is scheduled to join the Rockies on Thursday, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

Since he missed only a handful of workouts, Diaz isn't at any risk of not being ready to go from a preparation standpoint for Opening Day. After inking a three-year, $14.5 million contract extension in November, Diaz appears locked in as the Rockies' No. 1 catcher. The 31-year-old was a below-league-average performer at the plate in 2021 (92 wRC+), but thanks in no small part to the favorable hitting confines of Coors Field, he was a serviceable fantasy catcher with a .246 average, 18 home runs, 52 runs and 44 RBI over 371 plate appearances.

Nola (thumb) is scheduled to catch for starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore on Friday in the Padres' Cactus League opener versus the Mariners, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The report provides confirmation that Nola is healthy again after he sustained a left thumb strain in late September that required season-ending surgery. Before the thumb injury surfaced, Nola had missed considerable time in the 2021 season with a sprained knee, limiting him to just 56 appearances in total. He enters 2022 as the Padres' nominal No. 1 catcher, but with San Diego expected to carry two other experienced backstops (Jorge Alfaro and Victor Caratini) on its Opening Day roster, Nola could struggle to earn starts in more than 60 percent of the Padres' games.

Casali and Joey Bart will split time at catcher to begin the 2022 season, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Casali is no stranger to a timeshare role -- he started approximately once every three games last season to give Buster Posey extra rest. It appears Casali will likely get closer to half of the starts early this season, though the exact distribution of playing time will come down to performance. While Bart has the better bat, Casali is a more reliable defensive catcher who also hit .210/.313/.350 with five home runs and 26 RBI last season.

Bart and Curt Casali will open the 2022 season in a timeshare at catcher, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Bart, the second overall pick from 2018, will get his first extended look in the majors after Buster Posey retired in the offseason. Bart played well with Triple-A Sacramento last season, slashing .298/.362/.476 with 10 home runs, 46 RBI and 37 runs scored in 67 games. Casali will cut into Bart's playing time early in the season, but a strong start to the season could give the latter an edge for the No. 1 spot on the depth chart.

Contreras will likely be one of several players that Chicago manager David Ross rotates into the designated hitter spot this season, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Contreras missed a month last season with a knee injury and still finished seventh in the league in innings behind the plate, so his workload was certainly heavy while he was healthy. The Cubs will likely try to ease up on the 29-year-old a bit in 2022, and the DH spot will allow them to keep him fresher. Ian Happ (elbow), Clint Frazier and Nick Madrigal (hamstring) were also identified as likely DH candidates, and Ross figures to rotate players in and out of the role.