MLB Player News

Nola has had no issue catching baseballs since fracturing his left middle finger March 13, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Nola has yet to receive clearance to resume regular workouts, but he has been taking part in some catching drills and has reported no problems with his injured finger. The 31-year-old's big test will be swinging the bat; if he's able to do so without significant pain, Nola could feasibly be able to play by Opening Day.

Grandal has no pain in his knee but is still building back his strength and endurance, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Grandal has been slowed by a knee injury for much of the spring, which has forced him to serve primarily as the designated hitter in exhibition action. He did make his debut behind the dish Thursday and is shooting to be at full strength by Opening Day.

Manager Tony LaRussa said Thursday that Grandal is an option to serve as the White Sox's No. 2 hitter to begin the season, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Though his spring debut was delayed by a minor knee injury, Grandal has since picked up two starts, going 1-for-5 with a walk between the contests. After batting second as the designated hitter in both of those games, he's slated to catch while occupying the two hole again Thursday versus the Royals, which seemingly supports LaRussa's assertion that Grandal will get a legitimate look at that lineup spot. Adam Eaton likely looms as the top challenger for the second spot in the order, but Grandal probably boasts the better bat of the two at this stage of their respective careers. Over the past two seasons, Grandal has compiled a .356 wOBA, 26 points better than Eaton's mark during that span.

Murphy (chest) will make his Cactus League debut Thursday against the Padres, catching and batting third, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Murphy was handled carefully to start camp as he made his way back from offseason surgery to address a collapsed lung. He's making his spring debut just two weeks before Opening Day, but it looks as though he should still have a good chance to break camp on the active roster.

Jansen has gone 4-for-20 (.200) through 10 Grapefruit League games with a double, a home run and a 6:8 BB:K.

Meanwhile, Alejandro Kirk is hitting .417 and has only struck out once in seven spring appearances. Jansen is still penciled in as the Jays' starting catcher, but the 25-year-old has struggled at the plate so far in the big leagues. If he can't improve significantly on his career .208/.297/.370 slash line while Kirk continues to rake, Jansen's defensive skills may not be enough to keep him in the No. 1 spot on the depth chart.

McCann has gone 6-for-23 (.304) with a double and a 1:6 BB:K through eight Grapefruit League games.

Coming off a career-best .289/.360/.536 slash line in 2020, McCann is locked in as the Mets' starting catcher, but it's still reassuring that he's not struggling at the plate this spring. The 30-year-old will be looking to match or exceed the 18 homers and 60 RBI he racked up for the White Sox in 2019, and he could top the career-high 118 games he played that season, considering that his primary backup will be Tomas Nido, who owns a .553 OPS in the majors.

The Blue Jays optioned Moreno to their minor-league camp Thursday.

Moreno last played at Low-A Lansing in 2019, slashing .280/.337/.485 over 341 plate appearances. He'll likely make the jump to High-A Vancouver or possibly even Double-A New Hamsphire to begin 2021 as the Blue Jays look to get his developmental timeline back on track following the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league season. Among the young backstops in the organization, Moreno is third in the pecking order behind Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk.

Contreras, who slotted in as the No. 2 hitter for Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Padres, could hit there regularly this season, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Wednesday's lineup could be a preview of Opening Day for the Cubs, with Ian Happ and Contreras in the top two slots, followed by Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Joc Pederson and Javier Baez. Rizzo hit in the No. 2 hole a team-high 38 times last season, but manager David Ross said he'll "definitely consider" moving Contreras up and having Rizzo and Bryant hit 3-4. Contreras should post strong numbers no matter where he slots into the lineup, but hitting second should give him more at-bats over the course of the season.

Murphy, starting at designated hitter for the second straight game, went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run, a walk and two runs overall in a Cactus League win over the Royals on Tuesday.

The veteran backstop has ceded duties behind the dish to Luis Torrens the last two games while Murphy finishes recovering from a minor hip issue. The round tripper, part of a 15-hit barrage for Seattle, helped boost Murphy's spring average back over the Mendoza Line and marked his first time leaving the yard in exhibition play.

Grandal (knee) will catch in Thursday's spring game against the Royals, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Grandal has spent some time as the designated hitter for the White Sox recently while dealing with knee inflammation, but he'll be behind the plate for the first time this spring during Thursday's Cactus League game. It's not yet clear whether the 32-year-old's slow start to camp will impact his availability for Opening Day, but Grandal will have two weeks to work behind the dish before the regular season starts.