MLB Player News

Athletics manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday that Murphy will be delayed to begin spring training after the catcher required offseason surgery to address a collapsed lung, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Though Murphy won't be in attendance for the start of workouts, Melvin said he still expects the 26-year-old to be ready to go for Opening Day. Assuming Murphy endures no setbacks in his recovery from surgery, he could take on an even heavier workload behind the dish in 2021 after the Athletics traded his top backup, Jonah Heim, to the Rangers over the winter. Murphy finished with a subpar .233 average in 140 plate appearances in 2020, but he showed above-average power (seven home runs, five doubles) and drew walks at a 17.1 percent rate.

Contreras heads into spring training with a chance to win the No. 2 catching job for Atlanta, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

At the moment, starter Travis d'Arnaud is the only catcher with significant experience on the roster, leaving prospects Contreras and Alex Jackson to fight for the backup spot. The 23-year-old Contreras made his big-league debut last year on an emergency basis, going 4-for-10 with four strikeouts before spending the rest of the season at the team's alternate training site. His 2019 performance at the plate at High-A and Double-A wasn't particularly impressive, but Contreras still has the potential to emerge as a solid big-league asset. Atlanta could still elect to bring in a veteran such as Tyler Flowers to fill out the depth chart, but barring an outside addition, Jackson might be the front-runner for the job, if only because Contreras is more likely to be a long-term piece for the team and could use more minor-league development.

Jackson heads into spring training with a chance to win the No. 2 catching job for Atlanta, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

At the moment, starter Travis d'Arnaud is the only catcher with significant experience on the roster, leaving prospects Jackson and William Contreras to fight for the backup spot. Jackson is two years older and has shown an impressive power stroke in the minors, launching 28 homers in 85 games for Triple-A Gwinnett in 2019, but he's had significant issues making contact and has struck out in nine of his 22 career big-league PAs. Atlanta could still elect to bring in a veteran such as Tyler Flowers to fill out the depth chart, but barring an outside addition, Jackson might be the front-runner for the job, if only because Contreras is more likely to be a long-term piece for the team and could use more minor-league development.

Plawecki was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

While it's not clear whether Plawecki has tested positive for COVID-19, he'll begin spring training on the injured list with pitchers and catchers reporting Wednesday. The 29-year-old returned to the Red Sox on a one-year deal in early December and should serve as Christian Vazquez's backup once he's available.

Rogers and Grayson Greiner will likely compete this spring to serve as the backup catcher in Detroit behind new addition Wilson Ramos, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The Tigers signed Ramos to a one-year deal in January, and although the veteran had a down 2020 campaign, he is set to serve as the top backstop in Detroit. That leaves Rogers to battle with Greiner, unless the team opts to carry three catchers, which seems unlikely at this point. Rogers didn't make an appearance for the Tigers last year, but he did play in 35 games in 2019, slashing .125/.222/.259 with four home runs.

Langeliers was invited to big-league camp Monday.

Langeliers will get the chance to catch Atlanta's big-league arms for a few weeks, though he probably won't be joining them on a permanent basis this year. The 2019 ninth-overall pick played 54 games at the Low-A level that season but was prevented from advancing up the ladder last year due to the canceled minor-league campaign.

Barnes agreed to a two-year, $4.3 million contract with the Dodgers on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Barnes will avoid arbitration with the Dodgers by reaching a two-year deal with the team ahead of spring training. The 31-year-old should serve in a reserve role behind the plate once again in 2021 after slashing .244/.353/.314 with one home run and nine RBI over 86 at-bats last season.

Collins will be challenged for the backup catching job with the addition of Jonathan Lucroy, Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald reports.

With the White Sox building toward a deeper playoff run, manager Tony La Russa may prefer the veteran Lucroy over Collins, who has yet to establish himself behind the plate. He may still be part of the 26-man roster as a third catcher and DH if prospect Andrew Vaughn opens the season in the minors.

Rutschman has been invited to the Orioles' big-league camp.

Rutschman probably won't receive serious consideration for an Opening Day roster spot, as he's played just 37 career professional games. His debut may not be too far off, however, as he's one of the best catching prospects in years and is already quite advanced. He was reportedly under consideration for a debut last season if the Orioles managed to stick in the playoff race. Exactly when Rutschman might make his debut this year remains unclear.

Bailey received an invitation Friday to the Giants' major-league spring training.

The 13th overall pick in the 2020 first-year player draft, Bailey will be in big-league camp during his first spring training as a professional. He has yet to make a game appearance due to the cancellation of the minor-league season last year, but he was added to San Francisco's 60-man player pool and worked at the alternate training site.