MLB Player News

Contreras will likely be one of several players that Chicago manager David Ross rotates into the designated hitter spot this season, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Contreras missed a month last season with a knee injury and still finished seventh in the league in innings behind the plate, so his workload was certainly heavy while he was healthy. The Cubs will likely try to ease up on the 29-year-old a bit in 2022, and the DH spot will allow them to keep him fresher. Ian Happ (elbow), Clint Frazier and Nick Madrigal (hamstring) were also identified as likely DH candidates, and Ross figures to rotate players in and out of the role.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone both said Monday that Rortvedt will compete with Kyle Higashioka for playing time behind the plate during spring training, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

Before he was dealt to the Yankees on Sunday as part of the trade that sent Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela to the Twins, Rortvedt was a relative unknown after batting .169 over 98 plate appearances in 39 games as a part-time catcher for the Twins in 2021. The 24-year-old never posted an OPS better than .750 at any stop of the minors, but he was apparently a coveted piece for the Yankees thanks to his exceptional framing skills behind the plate. In that respect, Rortvedt is a dramatic departure from the bat-first Sanchez, and his inclusion in the deal along with another strong up-the-middle defender in shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa perhaps signals a shift in a Yankees organization that had gone all in on offense for a while. Rortvedt's stellar defense alone may not be enough to earn him the No. 1 spot on the depth chart, however, as he may need to tap into a little more pop to hold off the more experienced Higashioka for starts. At least early on, the lefty-hitting Rortvedt may have to settle for the large side of a platoon with the righty-hitting Higashioka.

Langeliers was traded from Atlanta to Oakland along with Cristian Pache, Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes in exchange for Matt Olson on Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Langeliers is a really strong catching prospect across the board, projecting for above-average game power and above-average defense behind the plate. He hit .258/.338/.498 with 22 home runs, a 26.2 K% and a 9.7 BB% in 370 plate appearances at Double-A as a 23-year-old. Langeliers may spend a good chunk of the season at Triple-A, but he could be expedited to the majors if Sean Murphy gets injured or traded.

Jeffers will have added competition at catcher ahead of the 2022 campaign after the Twins acquired Gary Sanchez from the Yankees on Sunday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Jeffers briefly appeared poised to serve as the Twins' top catcher after the team traded Mitch Garver to the Rangers on Saturday, but Sanchez should now be in the mix for playing time as well. Although Sanchez was productive earlier in his career, he's lost out on playing time to Kyle Higashioka in recent seasons. As a result, Nightengale reports that Sanchez will serve as a backup catcher and designated hitter to begin the year, meaning that Jeffers should still have the chance to carve out a significant amount of playing time behind the dish.

Higashioka will likely begin the 2022 campaign in the short side of a platoon after the Yankees acquired Ben Rortvedt from the Twins on Sunday, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Higashioka will no longer have to compete for playing time with Gary Sanchez after he was dealt to the Twins as part of Sunday's trade, but he'll gain increased competition at catcher from Rortvedt, who saw his first taste of major-league action in 2021 and appeared in 39 games behind Mitch Garver and Ryan Jeffers. Neither backstop has been particularly productive while splitting time early in their careers, so it's possible that one of them could shift into a primary role behind the plate if they perform well early in 2022.

Rortvedt, Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa were traded from the Twins to the Yankees on Saturday in exchange for Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela.

Rortvedt finished the 2021 campaign on the injured list at Triple-A St. Paul, but he should be fully healthy heading into spring training. The 24-year-old struggled to find consistent at-bats behind Mitch Garver and Ryan Jeffers in Minnesota, and he slashed .169/.229/.281 with three homers, eight runs and seven RBI across 39 appearances during his first taste of major-league action last year. Now that Sanchez is in Minnesota, the Yankees plan to utilize Rortvedt on the strong side of a platoon to begin the 2022 season, while Kyle Higashioka should see most of the playing time against left-handed pitchers.

Sanchez and Gio Urshela were traded from the Yankees to the Twins on Sunday in exchange for Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

After bursting onto the scene early in his career, Sanchez has had some issues with contact across the last several years, hitting just .201 across the last four seasons. Despite splitting time with Kyle Higashioka in recent years, the 29-year-old Sanchez has still hit double-digit home runs in each of his major-league seasons since 2016. While Sanchez should have the chance to compete with Ryan Jeffers for playing time behind the dish after the Twins traded Mitch Garver to the Rangers on Saturday, Minnesota plans to use the 29-year-old as a designated hitter and backup catcher to begin his time with the club, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Rutschman will serve as a non-roster invitee for the Orioles during spring training in 2022, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Rutschman's invitation to big-league camp doesn't come as a surprise after he had a strong showing across 33 games at Triple-A Norfolk in 2021. During his time in Norfolk, Baltimore's top prospect slashed .312/.405/.490 with five homers, 25 runs, 20 RBI and two stolen bases. The 24-year-old will be a strong contender for the Orioles' starting job behind the dish on Opening Day, but it's also possible that the team sends him back to Triple-A to begin the year in an attempt to manipulate his service time.

The Giants claimed Godoy off waivers from the Mariners on Sunday.

Though Godoy will presumably join the Giants for big-league spring training, he still has two minor-league options remaining and is most likely being targeted for the Triple-A Sacramento roster. The addition of Godoy helps the Giants shore up some organizational depth at catcher following the retirement of Buster Posey, who is expected to be replaced by Joey Bart as the team's everyday option behind the plate in 2022. Godoy had the chance to make his MLB debut last season with Seattle, playing in 16 games while hitting .162 with three RBI across 40 plate appearances.

Fry was traded to the Guardians from the Brewers on Sunday.

Milwaukee acquired J.C. Mejia from Cleveland in November, and Fry will serve as the player to be named later in order to complete the deal. Friday spent most of 2021 at the Double-A level and hit .248/.341/.447 with 11 homers and 41 RBI in 75 games before a late-season promotion to Triple-A.