MLB Player News

Campusano would be in line to make the Padres' Opening Day roster if Austin Nola (finger) isn't ready by Opening Day, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Nola fractured the middle finger on his left (non-throwing) hand Saturday, casting doubt upon his ability to play when the regular season kicks off. If Nola is unable to go, Victor Caratini would likely open the season as the Padres' primary catcher, with Campusano filling in as the backup. The 22-year-old has enjoyed a strong spring, slashing .313/.421/.438 with a pair of doubles. He has struck out only three times in 16 at-bats.

Garver went 2-for-3 in Sunday's spring training win over Boston. He's hitting .364 (4-for-11) with a home run this spring.

After last year's injury-plagued season (intercostal strain), Garver has looked back in form at the plate this season showing his 2019 power. He had a 109.6 mph average exit velocity Sunday, according to Baseball Savant, for example. Garver went from hitting 31 home runs with a .630 SLG in 2019, to struggling with injuries, being lost at the plate, and slugging just .264 in 2020. The Twins are likely to limit Garver's playing time to keep him fresh. He'll likely split playing time with Ryan Jeffers, even though both hit right-handed.

Stallings went 1-for-3 with a solo homer in Sunday's loss to the Phillies.

Stallings, who's set to serve as the team's starting catcher, is batting .333 in 12 spring at-bats. Better known for his defense, the 31-year-old holds a career .262 batting average in 382 at-bats in the big leagues.

Murphy was scratched from Sunday's spring game against the Brewers, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

No injury has been announced, so it's unclear if it's just a late lineup change of if the 29-year-old is dealing with some sort of issue. Luis Torrens will start in his place and will benefit should Murphy be forced to miss any real time.

Padres manager Jayce Tingler said Sunday that Nola has been diagnosed with a fractured middle finger on his left hand, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Nola picked up the injury when he took a foul ball off his (left) glove hand Saturday. While the 31-year-old will likely be in line for a shorter absence than he would have if the injury had been to his throwing hand, the fractured finger could still hamper him enough defensively to result in him being shut down. Nola will receive treatment for the next couple of days before the Padres outline a timeline for his return to game action. His status for Opening Day would appear to be up in the air for the time being.

Nido (foot) is in catcher's gear and caught a pregame warmup for Sunday's scrimmage, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

The 26-year-old was already cleared to hit after after fouling a ball off his left foot a few days ago, and it appears he's nearing a return to game action behind the plate. The injury appears to be a minor concern, so Nido's availability for Opening Day shouldn't be affected.

Kirk picked up two more hits in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, including a single that left his bat with an exit velocity of 110.3 mph, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The young catcher is 5-for-10 to begin the spring with a home run and a 1:1 BB:K. On talent alone, Kirk would be considered the favorite to win the No. 2 catcher job behind Danny Jansen to begin the season, but complicating the picture for the Jays is that Reese McGuire is out of minor-league options. As a result, Kirk could begin the season at Triple-A regardless of how he looks this spring if the organization doesn't want to risk losing McGuire on waivers.

Grandal (knee) started at designated hitter and went 0-for-2 with a walk in Saturday's spring game against the Angels.

Grandal, who made his Cactus League debut, has been dealing with a twisted knee suffered during a running drill Feb. 24. There's still no word on when he'll start behind the plate or what his availability will be come Opening Day, but there is more than two weeks remaining in spring training for him to progress to the point of catching.

Bart is 6-for-13 with one home run, three runs scored, two RBI, two walks and two stolen bases through seven spring training games.

It's the 24-year-old's third year in big-league camp with the Giants, and he's impressed at the plate each year. Bart made the jump to the majors last season and struggled with a .608 OPS and 36.9 percent strikeout rate, but he should be headed to Triple-A for 2021 to continue his progression. Buster Posey is back as the starter after opting out in 2020, and Curt Casali signed over the offseason to likely operate as the primary backup catcher.

Manager Bob Melvin expects Murphy (lung) to play in a spring training game sometime this week, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old has yet to make his spring debut after undergoing offseason surgery to address a collapsed lung, but he's been taking part in baseball activities for the past couple weeks. Murphy should have enough time to ramp up for Opening Day if he's able to see game action this week as expected.