MLB Player News

While Stallings' defensive prowess is the reason he's set to serve as Pittsburgh's primary catcher, he's also hit for a decent batting average with Triple-A Indianapolis in recent seasons, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

The 30-year-old batted .291 (in 523 at-bats) over his last three minor-league campaigns with nine homers and two steals, and slashed .262/.325/.382 with five doubles, six home runs and 13 RBI in 210 plate appearances last season with Pittsburgh. Stallings led all major-league catchers in DRS per inning (minimum 450 innings), finishing with an overall plus-14 DRS in 463.1 innings played. He spent the offseason strengthening the back that bothered him last summer and hit .300 in 20 Grapefruit League at-bats. His top priority remains his defense, but he's shown an ability to hit for a higher batting average than he posted in 2019.

Langeliers will open at either High-A or Double-A, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

O'Brien notes that Langeliers has likely passed William Contreras as the team's catcher of the future. The No. 9 overall pick in 2019 was seen as a glove-first catcher out of Baylor, and he impressed the big-league staff and the veteran players with his work behind the dish this spring. In a tiny sample, he hit .429 with one home run, three strikeouts and one walk in 15 plate appearances in big-league spring training. His glove and arm will likely get him significant playing time someday in the majors, but it remains to be seen how much damage he will do offensively.

Barnes has fared well in spring training and may split catching duties when the regular season commences, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Barnes entered spring training behind fellow backstop Will Smith in the pecking order. While Barnes posted a 1.033 OPS in 21 at-bats, Smith lagged behind with a .518 OPS in the same number of trips to the plate. The sample size is small and both players had similar strikeout and walk numbers this spring, but manager Dave Roberts' description of their "partnership" behind the plate could imply that they'll get nearly equal playing time at the start of the season.

Smith could find himself in a timeshare behind the plate when the regular season begins, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Smith entered spring training with a firm grasp on primary catcher duties, but that may have changed after he went only 3-for-21 (.143) in Cactus League play. Meanwhile, his main competition for backstop duties, Austin Barnes, posted a 1.033 OPS during spring contests. While manager Dave Roberts stated that the pair is part of a "partnership" behind the plate, a general idea of how playing time will be divided remains unclear.

The Reds optioned Stephenson to Triple-A Louisville on Sunday.

Cincinnati's top catching prospect wasn't a serious threat to crack the Opening Day roster with all of Tucker Barnhart, Curt Casali and Kyle Farmer ahead of him in the organizational pecking order. The 2015 first-round pick will likely spend the majority of the season at Louisville honing his receiving skills, but Stephenson could get a look in the majors at some point if the Reds are eager to phase out Barnhart in favor of a higher-upside offensive option behind the dish.

Jackson was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

While the move currently doesn't matter much with both the MLB and MiLB seasons suspended, it does confirm that Jackson will begin the regular season in the minors whenever play does resume. The 24-year-old did slug 28 homers in 85 games for Gwinnett last year, but his hit tool and defense behind the plate both remain a work in progress.

Nido has gone 2-for-16 (.125) with a 1:6 BB:K to begin the spring.

The 25-year-old came into camp the favorite to win the No. 2 catching job behind Wilson Ramos, and while Nido hasn't done anything to distinguish himself at the plate, his main competition Rene Rivera hasn't made a big impact either. Expect the battle to be won by whichever receiver the pitching staff prefers working with rather than the offensive contribution they can make.

Barrera has gone 1-for-7 with a strikeout to begin the spring.

The fact that the 25-year-old didn't get much playing time even when Welington Castillo was sidelined in camp with a sore shoulder indicates where Barrera sits on the depth chart for the Nats at catcher. He got his first cup of coffee last year in the majors and posted a .704 OPS through 101 games for Double-A Harrisburg, but Barrera will likely need multiple injuries behind the plate to return to the big-league roster in 2020.

The Reds will continue to hold voluntary workouts at their spring training facility in Goodyear, Arizona, while spring training is suspended, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. Barnhart, the Reds MLBPA representative, is among the Reds that will remain in Arizona for the short term.

Barnhart's wife is pregnant, so she and their young son have already gone home. "I will remain here until I'm told or given a little bit more information or clear vision on what the schedule looks like," Barnhart said. "I think after that, for me personally, I will probably go home and spend time with my family as much as possible and help take care of them as much as possible."

Manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday that he expects Gomes to play around 4-to-5 times per week during the regular season, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Though Martinez didn't say so explicitly, his division of the workload behind the plate implies that Gomes is the No. 1 catcher. Meanwhile, Martinez said that Suzuki, the other backstop on the roster, would serve as the regular battery mate for Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez. Suzuki is the superior hitter of the two, but Gomes' ability to control the run game along with his skills as a pitch framer look to be enough for him to handle the larger portion of a timeshare.