MLB Player News

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.

Stassi (hip) is expected to see his first spring action behind the plate early next week, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

While Stassi has yet to play the field this spring, he has logged two at-bats as DH, striking out each time. The 29-year-old underwent hip surgery last October and was not guaranteed to be ready for the start of the 2021 campaign, but it now appears that he has a good chance of being behind the plate for the Angels on Opening Day.

Knizner, who went 2-for-3 with two runs in a Grapefruit League loss to the Nationals on Friday, is 4-for-8 with a double, two RBI and four runs overall across three spring games.

Knizner finally appears to have a clear path to the primary backup role at catcher with veteran Matt Wieters, who effectively blocked him the last two seasons, no longer on the roster. Consequently, the 26-year-old's strong early start is reason for cautious optimism, especially since Knizner has a relatively extensive minor-league track record of success at the plate to support the notion he could thrive with extended opportunity. Through his first 75 major-league plate appearances over the last two seasons, Knizner has generated a .232/.280/.362 slash with five extra-base hits (three doubles, two home runs), 11 RBI, four walks, two steals and eight runs.

Ruiz (not injury related) has arrived in Arizona and is undergoing intake testing, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Ruiz wasn't present to begin spring training due to visa issues, but he'll be able to join the team for workouts in the coming days if he clears intake testing. The 22-year-old worked hard on his own to stay in shape while he was away from the team, and manager Dave Roberts said that he hopes to get Ruiz into game action at some point next week.

Perez (not injury related) is batting sixth and playing catcher in Saturday's spring game against Seattle, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Perez's arrival at camp was delayed by visa issues, but he'll make his spring debut behind the dish Saturday. He should be in line for a solid allotment of reps during spring training going forward.

Manager Tony La Russa said Grandal (knee) is swinging in the batting cage Friday but won't see game action this weekend, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

The 32-year-old twisted his right knee during drills last week and has yet to see game action this spring while dealing with the resulting inflammation. The injury doesn't appear to be a serious concern, but it's worth keeping an eye on Grandal's status as spring training progresses. Injury issues to open the season for a catcher in his 30s could be problematic for the White Sox, especially following the offseason departure of a starting-caliber backup in James McCann.

Realmuto's cast on his fractured right thumb was removed Friday, though he's still wearing a splint, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto continues to make progress after breaking his thumb in mid-February. Removing his cast is the step the Phillies hoped he'd be able to take at this stage, which is certainly a positive sign, though the latest reports indicate that Realmuto still can't hit or throw, contradicting February reports which held that he was doing those things while wearing his cast. It sounds as if he has plenty of work left to do to prepare for the upcoming season, putting his readiness for Opening Day in some question.

Stassi (hip) will bat eighth as the designated hitter Friday against Oakland, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Stassi has been slightly delayed to start camp after undergoing hip surgery in October. He's been participating in full workouts, however, and he should be ready to catch soon assuming he gets through Friday's at-bats without setbacks.

Campusano briefly left camp earlier in the week due to a personal issue, but he returned Thursday and could be in the lineup either Friday or Saturday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The nature of the issue has not been disclosed, so there's no telling whether it's related to Campusano's felony marijuana possession case, which remains pending in Georgia. With both Austin Nola and Victor Caratini ahead of Campusano on the catching depth chart and the legal issue clouding his outlook, Campusano may have a tough time breaking the Opening Day roster.

Casali (hand) is expected to start Friday's spring game against the Padres, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Casali underwent hamate surgery in December, but he played catch and hit without pain to begin spring training. He'll make his Cactus League debut Friday, batting third while playing catcher. Barring any setbacks, the veteran backstop should have plenty of time to prepare for Opening Day.