MLB Player News

Stubbs cleared the health and safety protocols and returned to workouts Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Stubbs was informed Monday that he won't be on the Opening Day roster, but that was seemingly unrelated to his temporary quarantine. Martin Maldonado and Jason Castro will be the Astros' primary catchers this season, with Stubbs filling in whenever there's an injury.

Huff (hamstring) is progressing and entering the final stages of rehab, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Huff will undergo one more MRI before ramping up to full activity. The power-hitting catching prospect made his MLB debut during the shortened 2020 season but skipped Double- and Triple-A to do it. The Rangers may have Huff start the season in the minors while Jose Trevino and Jonah Heim handle catching duties for Texas.

Contreras went 3-for-3 with a double, a home run and two runs scored in Monday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks.

The catcher finished the exhibition schedule with a flourish, bringing his spring slash line to a robust .317/.440/.756. Contreras batted second in this one and looks likely to slot in there during the regular season. With the likes of Ian Happ, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant around him in the order, Contreras should be able to post strong numbers in 2021.

Campusano will open the season on the big-league roster while Austin Nola (finger) heads to the injured list, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Nola's injury isn't expected to keep him out long, and Campusano will be stuck behind Victor Caratini during his time on the roster, so he might not get the chance to make more than two or three starts before being sent back to the minors. Campusano could surface from time to time this season if Nola or Caratini gets hurt, but he's probably not yet ready to make a significant impact, as his one-game debut last season represents his only appearance to date above the High-A level.

Perez, who went 1-for-3 with a run against the Twins on Monday, has made the Opening Day roster, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

He's had a fine spring in his bid to back up catcher Jacob Stallings, showing off a strong arm while throwing out several would-be base thieves. Perez is already on the team's 40-man roster, something which made his path to the Opening Day roster easier than his competitor, Tony Wolters. Perez, who's batting .185 in 27 spring at-bats, holds a career slash line of .221/.286/.314 in the majors.

Vazquez (eye) remained out of the lineup for Monday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta, but he was able to catch teammate Eduardo Rodriguez's (arm) bullpen session, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Vazquez isn't quite back to 100 percent after he suffered an eye laceration and contusion last week that required stitches, but the Red Sox remain fairly confident that he'll be ready to go for Thursday's season opener versus the Orioles. The backstop will have his stitches removed early in the day Thursday, and if that extraction goes as planned, he should be cleared to catch Opening Day starter Nathan Eovaldi.

Stubbs (COVID-19 health and safety protocols) was informed Monday that he wouldn't be included on the Astros' Opening Day roster, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Stubbs recently began a quarantine period away from the team due to contact-tracing concerns, but that likely didn't play a factor in him missing out on the Opening Day roster. Instead, Martin Maldonado and Jason Castro had been locked in all spring as the Astros' top two catchers, leaving no room for Stubbs. Once he clears all COVID-19 protocols, Stubbs will report to the Astros' alternate site before likely heading to Triple-A Sugar Land when the minor-league season begins in May.

Nola (finger) will open the season on the injured list, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Nola didn't appear to have time to fully recover from his fractured middle finger by Opening Day, and that's now been confirmed by the Padres. He's not expected to miss much time, though, as he's been ramping up his activity in recent days. He remains an interesting catching option in most formats after emerging as a late bloomer to hit .271/.347/.461 over the last two years, but those who draft him will have to dedicate a roster spot to another backstop for the first week or two of the season.

Garver (hand) will start at catcher and will bat second in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

Garver will rejoin the lineup for the Twins' penultimate spring game after a bruised left hand kept him out of action for three days. The 30-year-old looks set to begin the season as Minnesota's No. 1 catcher, though Ryan Jeffers could push for more work if Garver's 2020 offensive struggles carry over into the new season.

The Cardinals reassigned Heineman on Sunday.

As anticipated, the Cardinals will begin the season with Andrew Knizner as their No. 2 catcher behind Yadier Molina, leaving no room for Heineman on the 26-man roster. Heineman served as the Giants' Opening Day catcher last season, but he was cast off the 40-man roster in November after slashing .190/.292/.214 across his 50 plate appearances during the abbreviated 60-game campaign.