MLB Player News

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.

Langeliers was traded from Atlanta to Oakland along with Cristian Pache, Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes in exchange for Matt Olson on Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Langeliers is a really strong catching prospect across the board, projecting for above-average game power and above-average defense behind the plate. He hit .258/.338/.498 with 22 home runs, a 26.2 K% and a 9.7 BB% in 370 plate appearances at Double-A as a 23-year-old. Langeliers may spend a good chunk of the season at Triple-A, but he could be expedited to the majors if Sean Murphy gets injured or traded.

The Giants claimed Godoy off waivers from the Mariners on Sunday.

Though Godoy will presumably join the Giants for big-league spring training, he still has two minor-league options remaining and is most likely being targeted for the Triple-A Sacramento roster. The addition of Godoy helps the Giants shore up some organizational depth at catcher following the retirement of Buster Posey, who is expected to be replaced by Joey Bart as the team's everyday option behind the plate in 2022. Godoy had the chance to make his MLB debut last season with Seattle, playing in 16 games while hitting .162 with three RBI across 40 plate appearances.

Tromp returned to Atlanta on a minor-league contract Saturday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Tromp was claimed off waivers from the Giants in late September last year but didn't get into a major-league game for his new organization. His .215/.220/.418 slash line in 33 career major-league games suggests he fits best as organizational depth.

O'Hoppe was invited to major-league camp by the Phillies on Saturday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

O'Hoppe saw his stock rise last season after he hit .270/.331/.458 across the three highest levels of the minors. He's the Phillies' top catching prospect, though the starting role behind the plate is unlikely to open up anytime soon with perennial All-Star J.T. Realmuto under contract through 2025. O'Hoppe is unlikely to push for the Opening Day backup job, as just six of his games last season came at the Triple-A level, but a big-league debut later in the year is a possibility.

Contreras and the Cubs could work out a contract extension before the start of the regular season, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Contreras was one of the only veterans the Cubs didn't trade at the deadline last season, as Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo all got moved. Heading into the offseason, a Contreras extension was a hot topic, as 2022 is his last year under team control. The lockout put a pause on any negotiations, but with the luxury tax threshold going up in the new agreement, the Cubs might be willing and able to spend on their star catcher. If the sides can't reach a deal, Contreras will be a likely trade candidate this summer on his expiring contract.

Cartaya has resumed taking live batting practice and participating in drills at the Dodgers' minor-league spring training after missing the final two and a half months of the 2021 season due to back issues, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The back injury coupled with the cancellation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic has thus far limited Cartaya to 80 minor-league games since he signed with the Dodgers for $2.5 million in July 2018 as an 18-year-old out of Venezuela. Despite the relative lack of experience, the now-20-year-old is regarded as the organization's top catching prospect following last season's trade that sent Keibert Ruiz to the Nationals. Cartaya demonstrated an advanced two-way skill set during his injury-shortened stint at at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2021, posting a monstrous 1.023 OPS while showing strong receiving skills and a good arm behind the plate. He'll likely return to Low-A to begin the 2022 campaign, but if can show more durability and cut down on his strikeout rate, a promotion to High-A Great Lakes could come quickly.