MLB Player News

Jackson was added to the Braves' 40-man roster Tuesday.

Jackson and several other prospects had their contracts selected by Atlanta in order to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. While he has big-time pedigree (No. 6 overall pick in 2014 by Seattle) and plus power, Jackson has struggled to hit in the upper levels of the minors. He posted strikeout rates north of 30 percent at Double-A and Triple-A while hitting just .201 across those two stops in 2018. Look for him to spend the bulk of 2019 back at Triple-A working on improving his on-base skills.

Nicholas signed a minor-league contract with the Rockies on Sunday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The 30-year-old backstop spent all of last season in the Padres organization. He slashed .291/.353/.485 with 16 homers and 83 RBI at Triple-A El Paso but was unable to crack the big-league roster at any point. He has a .756 OPS in 110 MLB plate appearances in his career, though as things stand now, Nicholas figures to largely provide catching depth for the Rockies behind Chris Iannetta, Tony Wolters and Tom Murphy.

General manager Brodie Van Wagenen said d'Arnaud (elbow) is on track to be fully healthy for Opening Day, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

D'Arnaud underwent Tommy John surgery in April of 2018. While he's expected to be ready for the start of the 2019 campaign, it's unclear if he will be competing for a starting role with the Mets, as New York could choose to non-tender the backstop this winter given his injury history and underwhelming numbers since breaking into the majors in 2013 (.245/.306/.406 with 47 homers across parts of six seasons).

Realmuto's agent, Jeff Berry, said that he doesn't expect the backstop to be with the Marlins in 2019, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports. "I think he will definitely be wearing a different uniform by the start of spring training," the agent told MLB Network Radio on Tuesday.

Berry made it clear that Realmuto, who is eligible for arbitration in 2019 and 2020 before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2021, is unwilling to negotiate a long-term deal with the Marlins. Realmuto hit .277/.340/.484 with 21 homers and three stolen bases en route to his first All-Star selection in 2018.

Grandal isn't in the starting lineup for Game 5 of the World Series against Boston on Sunday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Grandal will come off the bench for the second straight game, with Austin Barnes slated to handle the catching duties in a pivotal Game 5. Grandal will be available to pinch hit if necessary.

Barnes is out of the starting lineup for Game 3 of the World Series against Boston on Friday.

Manager Dave Roberts will give Yasmani Grandal his first start of the series during Friday's game, citing the catcher's arm strength and matchup versus right-hander Rich Porcello. During the first two games in Boston, Barnes failed to collect a hit, going 0-for-4 in four plate appearances.

Barnes will draw another start behind the plate for Game 6 of the NLCS against Milwaukee on Friday, Jorge Castillo of The Los Angeles Times reports.

This will mark his third straight start in the lineup after catching Rich Hill and Clayton Kershaw on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. The Dodgers have claimed victories in each of the three starts Barnes has made this series, and he's proven to be the security blanket for manager Dave Roberts in light of Yasmani Grandal's costly errors.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Game 5 of the NLCS against the Brewers on Wednesday.

Austin Barnes will receive another start behind the plate while Grandal begins Wednesday's contest on the bench. Due to Grandal's defensive struggles and lack of production at the dish, it wouldn't come as a shock to see Barnes start Game 6 on Friday when the series heads back to Milwaukee.

Grandal won't be in the starting lineup for Game 4 of the NLCS against the Brewers on Tuesday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Grandal has had a miserable NLCS thus far, from committing costly errors in Game 1 to striking out in a key spot with the bases loaded in the ninth of Game 3. He's gone 3-for-22 with a double and a solo home run through seven games in the postseason and will be available off the bench for Tuesday's matchup. Austin Barnes is slated to take over the catching duties with Grandal out of the starting nine.

Barnes will start at catcher in Game 4 of the NLCS against Milwaukee on Tuesday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Barnes started behind the dish in Game 2 of the NLCS and went 0-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, and after yet another miserable performance by Yasmani Grandal in Game 3, Barnes will get the opportunity to play. He'll be tasked with catching Rich Hill.