MLB Player News

Nola has had no issue catching baseballs since fracturing his left middle finger March 13, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Nola has yet to receive clearance to resume regular workouts, but he has been taking part in some catching drills and has reported no problems with his injured finger. The 31-year-old's big test will be swinging the bat; if he's able to do so without significant pain, Nola could feasibly be able to play by Opening Day.

McCann has gone 6-for-23 (.304) with a double and a 1:6 BB:K through eight Grapefruit League games.

Coming off a career-best .289/.360/.536 slash line in 2020, McCann is locked in as the Mets' starting catcher, but it's still reassuring that he's not struggling at the plate this spring. The 30-year-old will be looking to match or exceed the 18 homers and 60 RBI he racked up for the White Sox in 2019, and he could top the career-high 118 games he played that season, considering that his primary backup will be Tomas Nido, who owns a .553 OPS in the majors.

Contreras, who slotted in as the No. 2 hitter for Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Padres, could hit there regularly this season, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Wednesday's lineup could be a preview of Opening Day for the Cubs, with Ian Happ and Contreras in the top two slots, followed by Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Joc Pederson and Javier Baez. Rizzo hit in the No. 2 hole a team-high 38 times last season, but manager David Ross said he'll "definitely consider" moving Contreras up and having Rizzo and Bryant hit 3-4. Contreras should post strong numbers no matter where he slots into the lineup, but hitting second should give him more at-bats over the course of the season.

Maile recorded his first hit of spring, a home run, in Tuesday's exhibition game against the Dodgers.

Maile has not done much hitting this spring, but he has not had many opportunities to do so, only appearing in five games thus far. He will open the season in the minors, barring any unforeseen developments with the Brewers' catching situation.

Nido (foot) will catch and bat ninth for the Mets in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

Nido will re-enter the Mets' spring lineup for the first time since March 7 after being withheld from action for just over a week with a bruised left foot. The 26-year-old looks on track to enter the season as the top backup to No. 1 catcher James McCann.

Stephenson looked good blocking balls in the dirt in Tuesday's spring training loss to the Rockies, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds were hesitant to play Stephenson behind the plate last season because of his defense, especially in comparison to the defensive skills of starter Tucker Barnhart. Stephenson went 0-for-2 with a walk Tuesday and is only 4-for-19 at the plate this spring, albeit with three walks. With Curt Casali gone, Stephenson is the clear backup to Barnhart right now.

Nola will throw and do light blocking drills while waiting for inflammation and fluid in his fractured middle left finger to subside, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Nola's finger fracture is on his non-throwing hand, so he should still be able to partake in some catching drills while he recovers from the injury. Though Nola could feasibly play through the issue, manager Jayce Tingler suggested Monday that the team may decide to play it safe with him. "It doesn't have to be 100%; at some point it will be a pain-tolerance deal," Tingler said. "I think if it was his choice, he would prefer to take on the pain right now. We're going to pull the reins back on him to make sure that we don't do that too early."

The Dodgers optioned Ruiz to their minor-league camp Monday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

As expected, Ruiz's demotion likely locks Will Smith and Austin Barnes in as the Dodgers' catchers on the Opening Day roster. Ruiz, who received a brief cup of coffee with Los Angeles in 2020, will presumably serve as the everyday catcher at Triple-A Oklahoma City this season.

The Giants optioned Tromp to their minor-league camp Monday.

Tromp and fellow catcher Joey Bart were both part of Monday's roster cuts, as the Giants appear set to go with Buster Posey and Curt Casali as their two backstops for Opening Day. If Bart and Tromp are both assigned to Triple-A Sacramento, Tromp would likely serve as the No. 2 option behind Bart, who is being groomed as Posey's long-term replacement.

The Giants optioned Bart to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday.

Due to the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league campaign along with Buster Posey's decision to opt out, Bart received his first taste of the big leagues last season, despite having only 22 games' worth of experience above the High-A level. The 24-year-old put together a few quality games to begin his major-league career, but he slumped badly in September to finish with a .233/.288/.320 slash line and 36.9 K% over 111 plate appearances. With Posey back in the fold, Bart will get some more development time in the minors to begin 2021, but he'll likely get another trial with the Giants at some point during the season.