MLB Player News

Thaiss appears as a slight favorite to begin the season in the majors over Logan O'Hoppe, MLB.com reports.

Thaiss is hitting .389 with a 1.060 OPS in 18 at-bats this spring. He's competing with Logan O'Hoppe for the backup role to Max Stassi. O'Hoppe is a top prospect and the Angels may want him to play every day in the minors initially. Still, this job battle may come down to the final days of spring training.

O'Hoppe appears as an underdog to begin the season in the majors with Matt Thaiss (1.060 OPS) having a good spring, MLB.com reports. O'Hoppe is hitting .250 (5-for-20) with a home run this spring.

O'Hoppe is one of the team's top prospects, but the Angels may start him out in the minors. He's drawing good reviews overall this spring, so a decision on him making the Opening Day roster may come down to the wire. Either way, O'Hoppe seems like a candidate to be in the majors earlier rather than later this season. O'Hoppe had a breakout season last year by hitting .283 with 26 homers and a .961 OPS at Double-A which earned him a 14-game late-season call-up with the Angels.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Saturday that Trevino (wrist) will catch Tuesday and Thursday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Trevino has been sidelined with a right wrist sprain, but the backstop told reporters that he was confident he'd be ready for Opening Day, and the Yankees scheduling their starting backstop to play this early makes it all but a foregone conclusion. If there are any setbacks, New York will likely push back the right-handed hitter, but for now there should be no concern that Trevino will be ready to roll when the games matter.

Fortes left Friday's split-squad game against the Cardinals after two innings due to tendinitis in his right knee, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Per manager Skip Schumaker, the Marlins will re-evaluate Fortes on Saturday, but at this point his removal from the game seems precautionary. If the catcher ends up requiring an IL stint to begin the regular season, Austin Allen could break camp on the 26-man roster as the backup to Jacob Stallings.

Murphy went 1-for-3 with a walk in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.

The 28-year-old hasn't made much of an impact at the plate this spring, going 4-for-17 in seven games with only one extra-base hit, a double, but Murphy is locked into the starting role at catcher for Atlanta. He slugged a career-high 18 home runs and 66 RBI in 148 games last season for the A's, and while he may not see quite that workload in 2023 with a capable backup in Travis d'Arnaud behind him, the better lineup context could still lead Murphy to top last year's production.

Heim went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Friday's spring game against Milwaukee.

The homer was Heim's second Cactus League blast. Heim, who started at catcher Friday, is expected to share the job with Mitch Garver in 2023. Garver is coming back from forearm surgery and is expected to serve as the primary designated hitter, which means Heim could approach or surpass the career-high 450 plate appearances he had in 2022. Whether he can sustain production over the course of a long season remains an issue. Heim batted .181/.279/.311 following the All-Star break after a productive first half.

Rogers is expected to be fine after being lifted from Friday's Grapefruit League matchup against the Yankees due to getting hit by a pitch on his left elbow, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Rogers is sporting a bruise following the hit by pitch, but he was removed as a precaution and should be available to play as soon as Saturday. He's slated to back up Eric Haase at catcher for the Tigers this season.

Bart has gone 5-for-16 (.308) with three extra-base hits, two RBI and two runs scored over seven Cactus League games.

Blake Sabol has earned a lot of attention for his strong hitting and Roberto Perez has been praised for his defensive play behind the plate, so there's still no guarantee Bart breaks camp with the Giants. Since Sabol also has experience in the outfield and is a Rule 5 pick, it's possible the Giants could carry three catchers if Bart makes the team. For his part, Bart has hit well when in the lineup this spring, so it's up to him to finish the exhibition slate strong and force a difficult decision.

Rogers was removed from Friday's Grapefruit League matchup against the Yankees after getting hit by a pitch on his left elbow, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Rogers was having a very solid spring before leaving Friday's game, slashing .333/.364/.857 with three home runs over 22 plate appearances. Getting plunked on the elbow likely means swelling, and at least a couple missed days, but the Tigers should provide an update shortly.

Adams is set to begin the season as the Nationals' backup catcher behind Keibert Ruiz, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old Ruiz is a switch hitter and is expected to handle a big workload, so Adams could be limited to only one or two starts a week. He's had an erratic spring at the plate, going 4-for-20 with three extra-base hits (two homers and a double) but a 0:11 BB:K, and he likely offers little but occasional power as a bargain DFS play or end-game option in deep two-catcher formats from a fantasy perspective.