MLB Player News

Nido is batting .417 (10-for-24) with a double and a homer this spring.

The Mets' backup catcher has only a .566 OPS in his big-league career, so don't expect him to maintain that level of offense once the regular season begins. Nido will likely need a James McCann injury to see significant playing time in 2022, but his spot on the roster at least seems secure for now with top prospect Francisco Alvarez still a couple years away from the majors.

Orioles general manager Mike Elias confirmed Monday that Rutschman (triceps) won't be ready for Opening Day or the start of the minor-league season, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

That being said, Rutschman is said to be making good progress in his recovery from a right triceps strain, an injury that resulted in him being shut down March 16 for an estimated 2-to-3 weeks. He's already resumed baseball activities, with Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com relaying that Rutschman has been hitting off a tee and doing some light throwing. Elias said that he expects the 24-year-old to resume participating in games in a matter of weeks, though the GM isn't certain if Rutschman will immediately report to Triple-A Norfolk or begin playing at a lower-level affiliate. Rutschman is still expected to make his MLB debut at some point in 2022, though it doesn't appear likely to happen until at least May.

Ruiz went 4-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

The young backstop busted out after a sluggish start to the spring, capping his big performance with a two-run blast off Hector Neris in the eighth inning. Ruiz is locked in as the Nationals' starting catcher after being one of the key pieces in last year's Trea Turner trade with the Dodgers, and he's coming off a season in which he slashed .310/.377/.616 with 21 homers in only 72 games between Oklahoma City and Rochester at the Triple-A level.

The Pirates signed Davis to a minor-league contract March 11.

Davis has been competing with Michael Perez for the Pirates' backup catching job behind Roberto Perez. Whether Davis or Michael Perez ultimately emerges as the No. 2 option, neither is likely to play much more than twice per week while Roberto Perez is healthy.

Stallings went 1-for-3 with an RBI in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

The veteran catcher is hitting a lackluster .235 (4-for-17) this spring, but Stallings' spot at the top of the Marlins' depth chart isn't in jeopardy. The 32-year-old's defense will keep him behind the plate most days, and he did post a career-high eight homers and 53 RBI last year for the Pirates before an offseason trade.

Jansen went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

The whiff was only his second of the spring in 17 at-bats, and while Jansen hasn't made a lot of contact in camp, it's been loud contact -- he has two doubles and a homer among his four hits. The 26-year-old catcher figures to split time with Alejandro Kirk behind the plate this season for the Blue Jays, but if Kirk gets extensive work at DH, it would open up more playing time for Jansen. This season could provide his last chance to prove he has a place in the Jays' future plans before the arrival of top prospect Gabriel Moreno.

Bethancourt was reassigned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday.

The catcher signed a minor-league contract with the Athletics in November, playing in 13 games this spring and producing a .381 batting average along with two extra-base hits and five RBI. Bethancourt will begin the season with Las Vegas, but his spring performance could make it more likely he gets called up at some point in the coming months.

Godoy was designated for assignment by the Twins on Monday, Dustin Morse of the Twins Communications reports.

After being claimed off waivers by the Twins March 17, the catcher played in seven games this spring, producing two hits and three RBI over eight at-bats. Godoy will now do one of three things, get claimed by another team, report to Triple-A St. Paul or he'll be released outright. In 16 games with the Mariners in 2021, the 27-year-old struggled to a .162 average while striking out 14 times in 37 at-bats.

Heim went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's spring training game against the Brewers.

Heim had multiple hits for a third straight Cactus League game Sunday and is batting .368 (7-for-19) with one home run, two RBI and four runs scored. The bat potential is what separated him from Jose Trevino, who the Rangers traded to the Yankees on Saturday and then announced Heim would be the backup to starting catcher Mitch Garver. There's potential for Heim to get into a lot of games. The 31-year-old Garver hasn't played more than 103 games in a season (2018), and manager Chris Woodward has already indicated he'll limit him to 90-100 games behind the dish. In an effort to preserve Garver for the long haul, the manager will also use him at first base and designated hitter.

Herrera will be the backup catcher after the Diamondbacks reassigned Juan Graterol to minor-league camp Sunday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Herrera has been with the organization since 2014 but will be making his first appearance in the majors. He'll back up Carson Kelly, while the Diamondbacks use Daulton Varsho mostly in center field. Herrera is 3-for-16 (.188) this spring and slashed .248/.346/.705 over seven minor-league seasons (393 games).