MLB Player News

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.

Murphy, who missed all of 2020 due to a foot injury, is 1-for-11 with a walk and four strikeouts across his first five Cactus League games.

The veteran backstop understandably has some rust to shed after last seeing seeing game action during the early stages of last year's summer camp. Murphy is projected to fill the slightly longer side of a platoon behind the dish alongside Luis Torrens, with the former initially expected to log a bit more than half the playing time at catcher.

The Rangers announced Tuesday that Huff (hamstring) has recently resumed light baseball activities, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Huff still appears to be a ways off from taking full batting practice and defensive drills, so he could be placed on the 10-day injured list when the Rangers set their Opening Day roster. If that's the case, Jose Trevino and Jonah Heim would likely break camp as the Rangers' top two catchers.

Marchan hasn't appeared in a game since the end of February due to a hamstring issue, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Marchan jumped straight from High-A to the big leagues last season, appearing in three games. He's likely to open this year in the minors but could have been called upon to open the season as Andrew Knapp's backup if J.T. Realmuto (thumb) isn't ready to go by Opening Day. It's unclear whether or not Marchan's injury is serious enough to threaten his readiness for the start of the season, but if both Realmuto and Marchan aren't ready to go it will likely be non-roster invitee Jeff Mathis who earns the backup job.

Murphy (lung) was cleared to take batting practice Monday, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Murphy's initial BP session will come against Oakland's coaching staff, but if all goes well, he could be cleared to face live pitching by the end of the week. The 26-year-old backstop is beginning to ramp up his activities following offseason surgery to address a collapsed lung, and the Athletics seemingly remain optimistic that he'll be ready to go for Opening Day.

Grandal (knee) had another successful hitting session Sunday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Grandal has yet to see game action during spring training while dealing with right knee inflammation, but he's making progress in his recovery while taking swings on the side. Manager Tony La Russa was encouraged by the progress that the 32-year-old is making but emphasized that he's being brought along slowly. "Slow play as they say," La Russa said. "But he's doing more and more. That's a good sign." It's not yet clear when Grandal will be able to make his spring debut.

Raleigh is 2-for-7 with a double, an RBI and a run across his first three Cactus League games.

The promising catcher doesn't have a clear path to an Opening Day roster spot with Tom Murphy and Luis Torrens expected to form a platoon behind the dish to open the season, but it's been previously speculated Raleigh is slated to make his big-league debut at some point in the 2021 campaign. Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports manager Scott Servais was especially pleased with Raleigh's work at the plate in Friday's tie with the White Sox, during which the 24-year-old knotted up the score at 2-2 in the third with a two-out single on a full count. A third-round pick in the 2018 first-year player draft, Raleigh has steadily progressed through the organizational ranks and posted a 22-homer, 66-RBI campaign as part of a .261/.336/.535 slash at High-A Modesto back in 2018.

Realmuto (thumb) still expects to be ready to play on Opening Day, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto's cast on his fractured thumb was removed Friday. He hasn't been able to hit and throw since he suffered the injury, which occurred when he tried to block a pitch in the dirt a few days before camp officially opened, but he's been able to take part in some simulated action. Whether or not his optimism is shared by the team remains to be seen, but it sounds as if any absence to start the year will likely be a brief one. If he does wind up heading to the injured list, Andrew Knapp would step into a temporary starting role.

Sanchez has hit two home runs and performed well behind the plate so far in spring training, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

These are promising signs for Sanchez, who struggled both offensively and defensively last season. It is also worth noting that the backstop has struck out only twice in eight plate appearances thus far -- not an earth-shattering rate for most players or even a big sample size, but a promising one for Sanchez given his 36.0 strikeout percentage last season. The 2021 campaign figures to be an important one for Sanchez, who lost his starting job in the playoffs last season and could test the patience of the organization if he gets off to a slow start.