MLB Player News

Manager Joe Girardi revealed Thursday that Realmuto recently suffered a fractured right thumb, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto's thumb will be immobilized for two weeks, and he'll be re-evaluated after that time. While the catcher will miss several spring games due to the injury, the Phillies are still hopeful that he'll be ready for Opening Day. Andrew Knapp, Rafael Marchan and Jeff Mathis should compete for the backup catcher job while Realmuto is sidelined.

Campusano has reported to Padres camp and the team is said to "feel good" about his legal situation, Darnay Tripp of NBC San Diego reports.

Campusano was charged with felony marijuana possession in Georgia last October, casting a cloud over his status for the 2021 campaign. However, the catcher's presence in camp suggests that San Diego expects him to be able to compete this season. Nonetheless, his path to an Opening Day roster spot is clouded by the presence of Austin Nola and Victor Caratini ahead of him on the depth chart.

Contreras heads into spring training with a chance to win the No. 2 catching job for Atlanta, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

At the moment, starter Travis d'Arnaud is the only catcher with significant experience on the roster, leaving prospects Contreras and Alex Jackson to fight for the backup spot. The 23-year-old Contreras made his big-league debut last year on an emergency basis, going 4-for-10 with four strikeouts before spending the rest of the season at the team's alternate training site. His 2019 performance at the plate at High-A and Double-A wasn't particularly impressive, but Contreras still has the potential to emerge as a solid big-league asset. Atlanta could still elect to bring in a veteran such as Tyler Flowers to fill out the depth chart, but barring an outside addition, Jackson might be the front-runner for the job, if only because Contreras is more likely to be a long-term piece for the team and could use more minor-league development.

Jackson heads into spring training with a chance to win the No. 2 catching job for Atlanta, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

At the moment, starter Travis d'Arnaud is the only catcher with significant experience on the roster, leaving prospects Jackson and William Contreras to fight for the backup spot. Jackson is two years older and has shown an impressive power stroke in the minors, launching 28 homers in 85 games for Triple-A Gwinnett in 2019, but he's had significant issues making contact and has struck out in nine of his 22 career big-league PAs. Atlanta could still elect to bring in a veteran such as Tyler Flowers to fill out the depth chart, but barring an outside addition, Jackson might be the front-runner for the job, if only because Contreras is more likely to be a long-term piece for the team and could use more minor-league development.

Langeliers was invited to big-league camp Monday.

Langeliers will get the chance to catch Atlanta's big-league arms for a few weeks, though he probably won't be joining them on a permanent basis this year. The 2019 ninth-overall pick played 54 games at the Low-A level that season but was prevented from advancing up the ladder last year due to the canceled minor-league campaign.

Barnes agreed to a two-year, $4.3 million contract with the Dodgers on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Barnes will avoid arbitration with the Dodgers by reaching a two-year deal with the team ahead of spring training. The 31-year-old should serve in a reserve role behind the plate once again in 2021 after slashing .244/.353/.314 with one home run and nine RBI over 86 at-bats last season.

Bailey received an invitation Friday to the Giants' major-league spring training.

The 13th overall pick in the 2020 first-year player draft, Bailey will be in big-league camp during his first spring training as a professional. He has yet to make a game appearance due to the cancellation of the minor-league season last year, but he was added to San Francisco's 60-man player pool and worked at the alternate training site.

Realmuto feels 100 percent after recovering from the hip flexor strain he battled late in the season, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

Realmuto missed 11 games with the issue in mid-September and spent time at first base and designated hitter after his return. Despite the fact that he was able to return before the end of the regular season, he indicated Monday that he didn't feel fully healthy until three or four weeks into the offseason. Now fully healed, the issue doesn't appear to be a significant cause for concern for the star catcher heading into his age-30 season.

Realmuto agreed to a five-year, $115.5 million deal to return to the Phillies on Tuesday, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

There was no better player to fill the Realmuto-shaped hole in Philadelphia than Realmuto himself, so it makes sense that he and the Phillies were able to come to terms on a deal that suits both sides. Realmuto's average annual value of $23.1 million will be the highest ever for a catcher. It's hard to say the contract is undeserved, as he's been the top backstop in the league over the last several seasons. Heading into his age-30 season, Realmuto will presumably start declining sometime soon, but he showed no signs of doing so last season, hitting .266/.349/.491 with 11 homers and four steals in 47 games. He should remain a key piece of a decent lineup in a hitter-friendly park for the foreseeable future.

Contreras and the Cubs agreed to a one-year, $6.65 million contract Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Contreras has been the subject of trade rumors this winter, but he remains in Chicago for now. Wherever he winds up, he'll remain one of the top offensive catchers in the game, as he's posted an average or better slash line in each of his five big-league seasons, including a .243/.356/.407 line last season.