MLB Player News

Lee is competing this spring to be the backup catcher for the Astros, Paige Leckie of MLB.com reports.

Christian Vazquez -- acquired by the Astros at the trade deadline in 2022 -- departed in free agency this offseason, leaving the backup catcher job in Houston wide open. Meanwhile, Lee is well-regarded for his defense but slashed only .238/.307/.483 with a 28.5 percent strikeout rate across 446 plate appearances for Triple-A Sugar Land last season. Nevertheless, he made a brief debut in Houston, earning 24 plate appearances. Lee will be competing for the role with fellow prospect Yainer Diaz, who is regarded as a superior hitter but more deficient with the glove.

Murphy (shoulder) is starting at catcher and batting seventh in Friday's Cactus League opener versus the Padres.

Murphy underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last June, but he appears ready to go for the start of spring training eight months later. The 31-year-old is slated to operate as a depth option behind Cal Raleigh at catcher this season.

The Guardians would prefer for Naylor to open the year at Triple-A Columbus, where he could play consistently and get more reps under his belt before getting promoted to the majors for good sometime this summer, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports. "He's 22 years old," manager Terry Francona said. "We told him it's not always on your timetable... but if you knock the door down, that sort of makes the timetable. But I think he's got a really good head situated really well. He's got a pretty good outlook."

While Naylor is Cleveland's catcher of the future and made his big-league debut already last season, the addition of Mike Zunino this offseason made it clear that Cleveland wasn't ready to hand Naylor the keys right out of the gate this year. As Bell notes, the expectation is for Naylor to get the call sometime this year to start sharing the catching duties with Zunino. Bryan Lavastida is the favorite to win the backup job to begin the season.

With no other established MLB catchers on the roster, Haase is likely to see a significant amount of time behind the plate this season, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Haase started 68 games behind the plate in 2022, but that number could grow with Tucker Barnhart no longer on the roster. The Tigers now have Jake Rogers, Donny Sands and Andrew Knapp vying for a backup role, leaving Haase as the unquestioned starter heading into the season. He may not have as versatile a role anymore, but as a catcher who can hit for a little power, Haase should retain decent fantasy value.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider noted Wednesday that Kirk (personal) might not be able to represent Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Kirk has not yet arrived at Blue Jays camp in Florida as he awaits the birth of his child. "You're getting to the point where you really have to make the best decision for the club," Schneider said Wednesday. "Nothing yet on the baby front, so we've talked through a number of different scenarios regarding what's best for him and what's best for us. If it does get to that, then that will be part of the equation." Team Mexico is set to begin WBC play on March 11 in Phoenix.

Tromp (quadriceps) appeared in a two-inning simulated game Wednesday, Grant McAuley of 92-9 The Game Atlanta reports.

Tromp missed the final month of the 2022 season after he aggravated a left quadriceps strain during a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett, but he reported to camp last week at full health. Though he's one of only three catchers on Atlanta's 40-man roster, Tromp is likely to head back to Gwinnett to begin the season so long as both Sean Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud are both available.

Rortvedt (finger) underwent surgery Wednesday to address an aneurysm near his left shoulder and isn't expected to resume baseball activities for at least one month, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

According to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, the procedure addressed a circulation issue in his shoulder, which had been affecting his finger. Given that he won't be cleared in time to play in Grapefruit League games, Rortvedt appears likely to open the 2023 season on the injured list. The 25-year-old looked like a candidate to open the previous season as the Yankees' No. 1 catcher, but after suffering an oblique injury last spring and then undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in May, he didn't debut for the big club in 2022.

Gomes could be in line for a larger role in 2023 with Willson Contreras moving on to St. Louis in the offseason, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report.

Contreras is out and Tucker Barnhart is in, with Gomes returning to the roster. That gives the Cubs two defensive-minded, veteran catchers who may end up splitting time. That's a different arrangement than past seasons, when Contreras was clearly the top option behind the plate. It could mean more playing time for Gomes, who appeared in 86 games for Chicago last year with an OPS of .625 over 293 plate appearances.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted this past weekend that Smith will not DH quite as much in 2023, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

That's because the Dodgers brought in J.D. Martinez over the winter to fill that role on pretty much an everyday basis. Smith drew 24 starts out of the DH spot in 2022, compared to 107 starts at catcher. He could potentially push more toward 120 starts behind the plate in 2023. "The one thing I don't want Will to hear right now is he's gonna get less at-bats," Roberts said. "We're gonna manage it, monitor it and see how it goes."

Rortvedt (finger) was unable to return to workouts as hoped Tuesday, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

The 25-year-old is still having his finger injury evaluated by a specialist and the Yankees hope to have more clarification Wednesday. Rortvedt -- who missed much of 2022 with a knee injury -- is competing this spring to be the backup behind Jose Trevino.