MLB Player News

Mejia won an Opening Day roster spot as the primary backup to Mike Zunino at catcher, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Mejia was steady at the plate during spring training, finishing with a .267 average across 32 plate appearances. The 25-year-old once was held in high regard in the Padres organization, and although the franchise decided he was expendable in the Blake Snell trade this past offseason, it appears he'll have a chance at a reset with Tampa Bay.

Stassi went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's win over the White Sox.

Stassi crushed his homer off Lucas Giolito in the fifth inning. His other hit was a single to left field off Codi Heuer. The 30-year-old veteran had a career year in 2020, slashing .278/.352/.533, and he'll have every opportunity to build on that as the clear No. 1 catcher in Anaheim.

Barnes sustained cuts to his hand during a play at the plate Thursday against the Rockies, but he's still expected to start Saturday, Eric Stephen of SB Nation reports.

Barnes exited Thursday's contest in the seventh inning but appears to have avoided serious injury. Will Smith is apparently slated to work behind the plate Friday, though that likely would have been the case regardless of Barnes' injury.

Barnes exited Thursday's game against the Rockies after looking at his right hand, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Barnes was attempting to field a throw at home plate when C.J. Cron slid into him, which appeared to be the cause of the injury. Will Smith replaced Barnes and would likely gain playing time should Barnes be forced to miss further game action.

Perez went 1-for-2 with a two-run homer and a pair of walks in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Tigers.

Perez's ninth-inning blast made things interesting for Tigers closer Gregory Soto, but Cleveland wasn't able to tie the game. The 32-year-old Perez struggled in 2020 with a .165/.264/.216 slash line and just one homer in 32 games. He's set to see the bulk of the time behind the dish for Cleveland, mostly due to his strong defense. Austin Hedges is Cleveland's other option at catcher, but neither he nor Perez should be expected to put up big offensive numbers.

Sanchez went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk in Thursday's loss to the Blue Jays.

Sanchez had a disappointing season at the plate last year, slashing .147/.253/.365, but he began the 2021 campaign on a high note with a two-run blast in his first at-bat of the season. Kyle Higashioka should see his fair share of playing time behind the dish in 2021, but Sanchez impressed while catching Gerrit Cole on Opening Day.

Huff (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Huff always would have been an undergo to break camp in the big leagues, as he skipped the two highest levels of the minors to make his 10-game debut last season. A hamstring strain suffered early in camp seemingly took him out of the mix entirely. He's entering the home stretch of his recovery, but he'll likely head to the minor leagues once healthy.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed that Vazquez (eye) will be available for Friday's season opener against the Orioles, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez probably would have been ready to play Thursday had the Opening Day game not been postponed due to inclement weather, but the extra day off should only help the backstop, who had been recovering from a laceration to his left eye. According to Bill Koch of The Providence Journal, Vazquez will bat eighth against Orioles lefty John Means while serving as the battery mate for Boston starter Nathan Eovaldi.

Barnes is starting Thursday's game against the Rockies, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Barnes was recently described by manager Dave Roberts as a "1A option" behind the plate and is expected to serve in a timeshare with Will Smith this season. While Smith should see slightly more playing time this year, Barnes will start at catcher for Thursday's Opening Day matchup, batting eighth.

Smith isn't starting Thursday's game against Colorado, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

While Smith should see most of the playing time behind the dish in 2021, manager Dave Roberts recently described Austin Barnes as a "1A option" at catcher. Barnes will draw the start on Opening Day, batting eighth.