MLB Player News

Grandal worked on his swing this offseason with the intention of increasing his launch angle, The Athletic reports.

Grandal is attempting to join the launch angle revolution. Notable success stories among those who have attempted to improve their slugging percentage by hitting more balls in the air include Josh Donaldson, J.D. Martinez, and Grandal's teammate Justin Turner, though not everyone has benefited from changing their swing. Rob Arthur of FiveThirtyEight found that only about half of the hitters who increased their launch angle saw the desired improvements. Don't assume that Grandal will automatically be better this season, but there's at least a chance that he finds some untapped power in 2018.

Glenn signed a minor-league contract with the Mets, Baseball America reports.

A career Met, Glenn was released by the organization at the conclusion of last season, and this is now the third-straight year he's signed a new contract with the club. Glenn has never seen major-league action and he slashed just .234/.321/.340 in 20 games with Triple-A Las Vegas last season. He figures to serve as organizational depth, but he's only 26 years old, so there could still be a major-league future for him should he perform well.

Rupp is expected to compete with Andrew Knapp for Philadelphia's backup catching role, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Rupp showed great power in 2017 with 14 home runs and 34 RBI, but struggled to hit for average -- he slashed .217/.299/.417 in 295 at-bats. He'll need to show he's capable behind the dish during spring training and continue to display power at the plate if he hopes to beat out Knapp. Both catchers have minor-league options remaining, so either player could begin the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Mesoraco (foot) enters spring training fully recovered from the broken foot that forced him to miss the end of the 2017 season, the Cincinnati Enquirer's Zach Buchanan reports.

Mesoraco is in the walk year of his contract, one that he has been injured for nearly the bulk of it. He'll enter this season as the backup behind Tucker Barnhart, however, and won't initially get much regular playing time.

Mets manager Mickey Callaway said Tuesday that Plawecki will compete with Travis d'Arnaud for playing time behind the plate this spring, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

D'Arnaud is the incumbent No. 1 backstop, but his hold on the top spot on the depth chart likely slipped after Plawecki slashed .303/.411/.474 after the All-Star break last season. To his credit, d'Arnaud also picked up the pace offensively in the second half and offers more power upside than Plawecki, who counts plate discipline as his top skill. Callaway wouldn't reveal his plans for how he plans on divvying out the workload at catcher, but it's likely that a timeshare that slightly favors d'Arnaud will be in place as long as both backstops are healthy and performing well at the dish.

Manager Dave Roberts stated that Barnes will split time with Yasmani Grandal in 2018, although Grandal will likely see a majority of at-bats against right-handed pitching, Andy McCullough of The Los Angeles Times reports.

In a surprising move, it appears as though Grandal will be the primary option behind the plate heading into this season. It was clear that Barnes surpassed Grandal in the postseason, and hit .289/.408/.486 with eight home runs and 38 RBI over 102 games during the regular season. In the event that Grandal struggles out of the gate, expect Barnes to see an expanded role much like he did last fall. Continue to monitor this situation throughout the spring.

Grandal is set to split time with Austin Barnes at the catcher position in 2018, although the former will likely receive a majority of the at-bats against right-handed pitching, according to manager Dave Roberts, Andy McCullough of The Los Angeles Times reports.

It appears as though Grandal will officially begin the season atop the Dodgers' depth chart after being supplanted by Barnes in the postseason. Grandal was the primary backstop in 2017, slashing .247/.308/.459 with 22 home runs and 58 RBI. This will be a situation to monitor throughout spring training and it wouldn't be surprising at all if Barnes surpasses Grandal early on this year.

Hedges worked with assistant hitting coach Johnny Washington during the offseason to adjust his swing, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The defensive whiz struggled a bit at the plate last year, posting just a .214 batting average. Given that, it's not surprising his primary focus this winter was hitting. Reports say he hasn't removed the leg kick from his swing, so the alterations hopefully won't sap the power that helped him hit 18 homers in 2017. The new plate approach is geared more toward making contact and having better patience, although the new swing hasn't actually been seen yet. The fantasy implications of this adjustment should become apparent once Hedges employs his new swing in Cactus League action.

Stewart signed a one-year major-league contract with the Braves on Wednesday.

The 11-year veteran has played for six teams in his major-league career. The journeyman backup has only once received more than 190 plate appearances. He'll begin the season as the Braves' third catcher behind Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki, though his major-league contract means he has a good chance to be the first catcher called upon in the event of an injury.

Murphy is expected to be in the mix for backup catching duties to start the 2018 season, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Murphy was expected to be in the mix for the starting gig in 2017, but injuries incurred during spring training and struggles in the minors kept him from ever garnering that role. Now that Chris Iannetta is in the fold, it seems that the prospect will need to settle for backup duties for now. His main competition is Tony Wolters, although Murphy seems to possess more offensive potential given his raw power ability. Regardless, Murphy will need to show that 2017 was simply a fluke if he wants to regain his high standing in the organization.