MLB Player News

Wynns signed with the Phillies as a non-roster invitee Saturday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

With a career .216/.255/.326 slash line in 115 major-league games, Wynns hasn't shown himself to be anything more than an organizational depth option behind the plate. That's the role he'll likely fill for the Phillies, a team that already has four catchers on the 40-man roster.

Godoy was claimed off waivers by the Twins on Thursday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Godoy was claimed by the Giants on Sunday after being designated for assignment by the Mariners. However, the Giants designated him for assignment Thursday to make room for Joc Pederson on the active roster. The Twins have Gary Sanchez and Ryan Jeffers on their major-league roster after trading Mitch Garver on Saturday, so Godoy is likely to begin the year at Triple-A St. Paul since he has two minor-league options left.

Grullon signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Wednesday.

Grullon spent time with three different Triple-A clubs in 2021 and hit .196 with 10 home runs, 25 RBI and 21 runs across 43 games. He appeared in one game for the Red Sox in 2020 and will rejoin the organization ahead of the 2022 campaign.

Diaz, whose arrival to big-league spring training has been delayed by visa issues, is scheduled to join the Rockies on Thursday, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

Since he missed only a handful of workouts, Diaz isn't at any risk of not being ready to go from a preparation standpoint for Opening Day. After inking a three-year, $14.5 million contract extension in November, Diaz appears locked in as the Rockies' No. 1 catcher. The 31-year-old was a below-league-average performer at the plate in 2021 (92 wRC+), but thanks in no small part to the favorable hitting confines of Coors Field, he was a serviceable fantasy catcher with a .246 average, 18 home runs, 52 runs and 44 RBI over 371 plate appearances.

Nola (thumb) is scheduled to catch for starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore on Friday in the Padres' Cactus League opener versus the Mariners, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The report provides confirmation that Nola is healthy again after he sustained a left thumb strain in late September that required season-ending surgery. Before the thumb injury surfaced, Nola had missed considerable time in the 2021 season with a sprained knee, limiting him to just 56 appearances in total. He enters 2022 as the Padres' nominal No. 1 catcher, but with San Diego expected to carry two other experienced backstops (Jorge Alfaro and Victor Caratini) on its Opening Day roster, Nola could struggle to earn starts in more than 60 percent of the Padres' games.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that Rutschman has been diagnosed with a right triceps strain, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports. Hyde is hopeful that Rutschman will be out for 2-to-3 weeks before returning.

Hyde's 2-to-3-week estimation appears to be an optimistic view of Rutschman's recovery timeline, as the skipper acknowledged the possibility that the catching prospect may not immediately be ready to resume baseball activities once that shutdown period comes to an end. Regardless, the injury effectively ends Rutschman's bid to make the Opening Day roster, and once deemed healthy, he may need to pick up at-bats at Triple-A Norfolk for an extended period before the Orioles consider promoting him to the majors. Since Rutschman is attending camp as a non-roster invitee, the Orioles won't have to place him on their 10-day injured list. With that in mind, fantasy managers may not have the luxury of stashing him in a reserve slot based on their league settings.

Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said Haase is a "catcher first," though he will play some at first base and in left field, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

The Tigers added Tucker Barnhart in the offseason to play behind the plate, so there was some thought that Haase would primarily play elsewhere with Barnhart taking over as the No. 1 catcher. However, Hinch's comments suggest the two could split duties more evenly. Haase appeared in 98 games last season and popped 22 home runs, and he should maintain decent fantasy value if his playing time looks similar in 2022.

Casali and Joey Bart will split time at catcher to begin the 2022 season, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Casali is no stranger to a timeshare role -- he started approximately once every three games last season to give Buster Posey extra rest. It appears Casali will likely get closer to half of the starts early this season, though the exact distribution of playing time will come down to performance. While Bart has the better bat, Casali is a more reliable defensive catcher who also hit .210/.313/.350 with five home runs and 26 RBI last season.

Bart and Curt Casali will open the 2022 season in a timeshare at catcher, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Bart, the second overall pick from 2018, will get his first extended look in the majors after Buster Posey retired in the offseason. Bart played well with Triple-A Sacramento last season, slashing .298/.362/.476 with 10 home runs, 46 RBI and 37 runs scored in 67 games. Casali will cut into Bart's playing time early in the season, but a strong start to the season could give the latter an edge for the No. 1 spot on the depth chart.

Rutschman is getting treatment for a sore elbow Tuesday, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The injury doesn't seem to be a significant one, with the Orioles expecting him to be limited for only a couple days. If it lasts longer than expected, however, it could hinder his pursuit of an Opening Day roster spot.