MLB Player News

Grandal (knee) will serve as the designated hitter in a pair of B games Friday and Saturday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Grandal has been dealing with knee inflammation since late February. The White Sox have been cautious with him, and it's still not clear exactly when he'll get back behind the plate. He should still have time to get up to game speed by Opening Day as long as he begins getting defensive reps soon, however.

Nido was scratched from the lineup for Friday's game against Miami for undisclosed reasons, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Nido is expected to back up James McCann behind the plate this season. It's not yet clear if he's dealing with something that could send him to the injured list to start the season. Non-roster invitee Caleb Joseph will start in his place Friday and could potentially earn a roster spot if Nido is indeed dealing with a long-term issue.

Perez has focused on being more patient at the plate and taking more pitches this spring, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Perez has a career 3.4 percent walk rate and walked only 1.9 percent of the time across 156 plate appearances in 2020. His attempts to scale back his aggressiveness have yielded some results so far, as he's already earned two free passes through 20 plate appearances in spring training. The approach may not last into the regular season, as Perez said that his primary focus will be continuing to make plenty of hard contact.

Ruiz will work as the Dodgers' reserve catcher Friday and Sunday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Ruiz was forced to arrive late to camp due to visa issues, but he's now prepared to appear in his first games this spring. He managed to make eight plate appearances with the big-league club in 2020, but Ruiz is likely to begin the season at the alternate site with Will Smith and Austin Barnes ahead of him on the depth chart.

Grandal (knee) took swings during a simulated game Wednesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Grandal continues to work his way back from right knee inflammation, and he looked good once again in Wednesday's sim game. Manager Tony La Russa remains encouraged by Grandal's progress, but it's not yet clear when he'll be able to appear in spring games.

Phillies manager Joe Girardi said Thursday that Realmuto (thumb) was cleared to resume full baseball activities, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Girardi noted that Realmuto was able to make about 40 throws during a workout without incident, an encouraging sign for his chances of being ready to go when Opening Day arrives in three weeks. The veteran backstop is gradually expected to ramp up the intensity of his throwing program while also integrating more fielding and hitting drills into his workouts before potentially returning to game action at the tail end of the Phillies' exhibition slate.

Marchan's hamstring issue will keep him out until at least the last week of March, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

If healthy, Marchan could potentially be needed at the start of the season, as J.T. Realmuto hopes to be ready to go following his fractured thumb but still hasn't gotten into game action. Marchan is the only other backstop on the 40-man roster besides Andrew Knapp. Non-roster invitee Jeff Mathis could make the team if neither Realmuto nor Marchan are cleared to play, but the Phillies would certainly prefer not to have to open a 40-man roster spot just to add a backup catcher for a week or two.

Murphy (lung) doesn't have a timetable for his return to game action but is taking batting practice, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Murphy underwent surgery over the offseason to address a collapsed lung. He's behind the rest of his teammates this spring, but Murphy has been doing at least some baseball activities since late February, including taking batting practice against the Athletics' coaching staff since the start of this week. He's considered close to ready for game action, which should give him a chance to get up to speed by Opening Day.

Stassi (hip) could start at catcher within the next couple days, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

He's started at designated hitter twice in the last week, most recently on Wednesday, but Stassi's hip injury has prevented him from starting behind the dish. It sounds like that could change this weekend. In the meantime, Kurt Suzuki has been serving as the primary catcher.

Maldonado went 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's spring game against the Nationals.

Maldonado is 3-for-9 with an RBI and two runs scored in five Grapefruit League games. He experienced an uptick in offense in 2020 -- his .728 OPS was his best since 2012 -- but he's on the team for his defense and ability to manage the pitching staff.