MLB Player News

Gallagher (shoulder) was activated off the injured list Friday.

Gallagher wound up missing a month with a right shoulder impingement. He'll return to his role as Salvador Perez's backup behind the plate, though that's not a role that comes with much playing time -- Perez has started 70 games at catcher this season, tied for second most in the league. Sebastian Rivero was optioned in a corresponding move.

Barrera is not in the lineup Friday against the Padres, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Barrera has been seeing plenty of action with Yan Gomes (oblique) and Alex Avila (calf) sidelined, but he won't start the first game of the second half. Rene Rivera signed with the Nationals earlier in the day and will start Friday. Barrera and Rivera should split playing time behind the plate until Gomes or Avila is healthy.

Trevino (forearm) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on Friday.

The backstop has been on the injured list since late June with a right forearm contusion that he suffered slipping in the bathroom. He'll DH in his first appearance with Frisco on Friday, which indicates that he'll need at least another game or two to work behind the plate in the minors before being activated. Manager Chris Woodward previously said that the club is considering rostering three catchers when Trevino is ready to return, which means that the 28-year-old could be in line for somewhat of a reduced role.

Realmuto is not in the lineup for the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Marlins.

Realmuto was never likely to start both games of the twin bill, so he'll be on the bench for the matinee. He should be back in the lineup for the nightcap, while Andrew Knapp starts behind the plate in his place.

Higashioka tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Higashioka was placed in the COVID-19 protocols Thursday while awaiting the test results, and he's one of six Yankees who have tested positive for the virus. He'll be sidelined for at least the next 10 days. The Yankees will need to add another catcher to the roster to serve as the backup to Gary Sanchez behind the plate.

Garver (groin) is 4-for-11 with two walks in three games for Triple-A St. Paul during a rehab assignment.

It's not clear when Garver will be activated from the injured list, but he could return at some point in the next week. Garver has been out since the start of June due to a groin injury that required surgery.

Grullon was traded to White Sox from the Rays on Thursday for cash considerations, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Grullon has been a member of several organizations this season, including the Reds, Rays and Mets. He'll now land with the White Sox, who are in need of organizational depth at the position with Yasmani Grandal (knee) set to miss at least a few more weeks. Grullon has not logged a major-league plate appearance this season and is hitting .194/.282/.456 across 117 plate appearances at Triple-A.

Higashioka has been placed in the league's COVID-19 protocols while he awaits a confirmation of a positive test for the virus, Buster Olney of ESPN

Higashioka is one of three Yankees who reportedly received a positive test for COVID-19, but the Yankees are awaiting a second test to make sure that the initial result isn't a false positive. If his positive test is confirmed, the catcher will be away from the team at least 10 days.

Alvarez has hit .231/.350/.479 with seven homers, 20 RBI, 21 runs and a 20:35 BB:K across 37 games since being promoted to High-A Brooklyn.

His strikeout rate has more than doubled from his stint in Low-A earlier this year (from 10.4 percent to an even 25 percent), but Alvarez has also had some bad batted-ball luck, so it's fair to expect his average to climb. Considering that he's still 19 years old -- a full four years younger than the average player in the High-A East league -- he's doing great. His stats have been hurt significantly by a recent slump, as Alvarez has gone 1-for-32 over his last eight games. Before that, he was hitting .286/.389/.571 with Brooklyn. Alvarez is a ways off from the majors, but he's one of the most exciting catching prospects in the game.

Soderstrom is hitting .315/.400/.575 with 10 homers, two steals, 43 RBI and 36 runs across 50 games for Low-A Stockton.

The No. 26 overall pick from last year's draft, Soderstrom is just 19 years old -- two years younger than the average player in the Low-A West league -- but he's already showing an impressively advanced approach at the plate in his first pro season. He's drawing walks at a 10.9 percent clip, has kept the strikeouts low enough (23.5 percent) and is hitting the ball to all fields with authority. Soderstrom made a great impression in major-league spring training this year, and he seems poised to rocket through the organization -- particularly if the A's elect to move him off the catcher position, which would be a boon to his fantasy value while accelerating his timeline. They haven't said anything about doing so just yet, but Soderstrom's prospect profile isn't all that different from the likes of Bryce Harper and Wil Myers, who were both catchers at the outset of their careers. Accordingly, it may not be long until Soderstrom is routinely mentioned among the top few prospects in the game.