MLB Player News

Grandal (knee) took swings during a simulated game Wednesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Grandal continues to work his way back from right knee inflammation, and he looked good once again in Wednesday's sim game. Manager Tony La Russa remains encouraged by Grandal's progress, but it's not yet clear when he'll be able to appear in spring games.

Phillies manager Joe Girardi said Thursday that Realmuto (thumb) was cleared to resume full baseball activities, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Girardi noted that Realmuto was able to make about 40 throws during a workout without incident, an encouraging sign for his chances of being ready to go when Opening Day arrives in three weeks. The veteran backstop is gradually expected to ramp up the intensity of his throwing program while also integrating more fielding and hitting drills into his workouts before potentially returning to game action at the tail end of the Phillies' exhibition slate.

Marchan's hamstring issue will keep him out until at least the last week of March, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

If healthy, Marchan could potentially be needed at the start of the season, as J.T. Realmuto hopes to be ready to go following his fractured thumb but still hasn't gotten into game action. Marchan is the only other backstop on the 40-man roster besides Andrew Knapp. Non-roster invitee Jeff Mathis could make the team if neither Realmuto nor Marchan are cleared to play, but the Phillies would certainly prefer not to have to open a 40-man roster spot just to add a backup catcher for a week or two.

Murphy (lung) doesn't have a timetable for his return to game action but is taking batting practice, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Murphy underwent surgery over the offseason to address a collapsed lung. He's behind the rest of his teammates this spring, but Murphy has been doing at least some baseball activities since late February, including taking batting practice against the Athletics' coaching staff since the start of this week. He's considered close to ready for game action, which should give him a chance to get up to speed by Opening Day.

Stassi (hip) could start at catcher within the next couple days, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

He's started at designated hitter twice in the last week, most recently on Wednesday, but Stassi's hip injury has prevented him from starting behind the dish. It sounds like that could change this weekend. In the meantime, Kurt Suzuki has been serving as the primary catcher.

Maldonado went 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's spring game against the Nationals.

Maldonado is 3-for-9 with an RBI and two runs scored in five Grapefruit League games. He experienced an uptick in offense in 2020 -- his .728 OPS was his best since 2012 -- but he's on the team for his defense and ability to manage the pitching staff.

Murphy, who missed all of 2020 due to a foot injury, is 1-for-11 with a walk and four strikeouts across his first five Cactus League games.

The veteran backstop understandably has some rust to shed after last seeing seeing game action during the early stages of last year's summer camp. Murphy is projected to fill the slightly longer side of a platoon behind the dish alongside Luis Torrens, with the former initially expected to log a bit more than half the playing time at catcher.

The Rangers announced Tuesday that Huff (hamstring) has recently resumed light baseball activities, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Huff still appears to be a ways off from taking full batting practice and defensive drills, so he could be placed on the 10-day injured list when the Rangers set their Opening Day roster. If that's the case, Jose Trevino and Jonah Heim would likely break camp as the Rangers' top two catchers.

Marchan hasn't appeared in a game since the end of February due to a hamstring issue, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Marchan jumped straight from High-A to the big leagues last season, appearing in three games. He's likely to open this year in the minors but could have been called upon to open the season as Andrew Knapp's backup if J.T. Realmuto (thumb) isn't ready to go by Opening Day. It's unclear whether or not Marchan's injury is serious enough to threaten his readiness for the start of the season, but if both Realmuto and Marchan aren't ready to go it will likely be non-roster invitee Jeff Mathis who earns the backup job.

Murphy (lung) was cleared to take batting practice Monday, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Murphy's initial BP session will come against Oakland's coaching staff, but if all goes well, he could be cleared to face live pitching by the end of the week. The 26-year-old backstop is beginning to ramp up his activities following offseason surgery to address a collapsed lung, and the Athletics seemingly remain optimistic that he'll be ready to go for Opening Day.