MLB Player News

Stephenson looked good blocking balls in the dirt in Tuesday's spring training loss to the Rockies, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds were hesitant to play Stephenson behind the plate last season because of his defense, especially in comparison to the defensive skills of starter Tucker Barnhart. Stephenson went 0-for-2 with a walk Tuesday and is only 4-for-19 at the plate this spring, albeit with three walks. With Curt Casali gone, Stephenson is the clear backup to Barnhart right now.

Nola will throw and do light blocking drills while waiting for inflammation and fluid in his fractured middle left finger to subside, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Nola's finger fracture is on his non-throwing hand, so he should still be able to partake in some catching drills while he recovers from the injury. Though Nola could feasibly play through the issue, manager Jayce Tingler suggested Monday that the team may decide to play it safe with him. "It doesn't have to be 100%; at some point it will be a pain-tolerance deal," Tingler said. "I think if it was his choice, he would prefer to take on the pain right now. We're going to pull the reins back on him to make sure that we don't do that too early."

Rogers is just 2-for-18 with nine strikeouts in Grapefruit League play.

Manager A.J. Hinch previously said defense will be the key to Rogers securing the backup catcher role behind Wilson Ramos, but the organization would certainly like to see a little more offense than this. Rogers struggled when he made his MLB debut back in 2019, posting a .125/.222/.259 slash line with 51 strikeouts across 112 at-bats. Until he cuts down on the whiffs, he'll likely continue to post subpar offensive numbers.

Athletics manager Bob Melvin said he expects Murphy (collapsed lung) to start at catcher in his Cactus League debut Thursday against the Padres, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Earlier reports suggested that Murphy would make his first appearance of the spring Wednesday against the Royals, but the Athletics will instead give the 26-year-old an additional day to rest up before he debuts. Murphy was delayed at the start of camp while recovering from offseason surgery to address a collapsed lung, but the Athletics appear confident that he'll be ready to go for Opening Day.

Murphy (chest) is expected to make his Cactus League debut Wednesday against the Royals, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The report doesn't specify whether Murphy will catch or serve as the Athletics' designated hitter, but his expected entry into the spring lineup is an encouraging sign for his chances of being ready to go for the start of the regular season. Murphy has thus far been eased along during spring training after he required a pair of surgeries in the offseason to address a collapsed lung.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Higashioka was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers due to a sore side, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Boone suggested Higashioka's removal was precautionary, so the catcher could be ready to rejoin the lineup within a few days. Non-roster invitee Rob Brantly will get a turn behind the plate Tuesday, catching for Gerrit Cole.

The Dodgers optioned Ruiz to their minor-league camp Monday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

As expected, Ruiz's demotion likely locks Will Smith and Austin Barnes in as the Dodgers' catchers on the Opening Day roster. Ruiz, who received a brief cup of coffee with Los Angeles in 2020, will presumably serve as the everyday catcher at Triple-A Oklahoma City this season.

The Giants optioned Tromp to their minor-league camp Monday.

Tromp and fellow catcher Joey Bart were both part of Monday's roster cuts, as the Giants appear set to go with Buster Posey and Curt Casali as their two backstops for Opening Day. If Bart and Tromp are both assigned to Triple-A Sacramento, Tromp would likely serve as the No. 2 option behind Bart, who is being groomed as Posey's long-term replacement.

The Giants optioned Bart to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday.

Due to the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league campaign along with Buster Posey's decision to opt out, Bart received his first taste of the big leagues last season, despite having only 22 games' worth of experience above the High-A level. The 24-year-old put together a few quality games to begin his major-league career, but he slumped badly in September to finish with a .233/.288/.320 slash line and 36.9 K% over 111 plate appearances. With Posey back in the fold, Bart will get some more development time in the minors to begin 2021, but he'll likely get another trial with the Giants at some point during the season.

Murphy (hip) will return to the lineup Monday against Arizona, batting fourth and serving as the designated hitter.

Murphy was scratched Sunday with what was later revealed to be a hip issue. While it may take a few more days for him to get back behind the plate, his readiness for Opening Day doesn't appear to be threatened.