MLB Player News

Murphy (foot) still does not have a timetable for a return, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Murphy, who was placed on the injured list July 23 with a broken bone in his foot, still figures to be a ways out from returning to the Mariners.

Bart has been taking grounders at first base at the alternate training site and could be called up Friday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Teams can now call up prospects without the player accruing a full year of service time. The Giants have said in the past that they want Bart to learn another defensive position before joining the major-league roster, and it turns out he's been working at first base with the club in West Sacramento. With no minor-league games this season, the 23-year-old could be at risk of stagnating in his development if he's not competing regularly in a live setting.

Stephenson will be on the taxi squad for the Reds' weekend series, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Stephenson homered in his first major-league at-bat Monday but was optioned to the team's alternate training site Wednesday to make room for Mike Moustakas on the active roster. However, the 23-year-old catcher will be available as an emergency option over the weekend as the Reds prepare for their first road series of the season.

Nola (knee) is expected to return for Friday's home opener against the Athletics, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports. "He had some tests run today and they came back pretty good," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "He's got some swelling in there, but nothing structural wrong with the knee at all, which is really good news. Anytime you are going to get an MRI on a catcher's knee, you get a little nervous."

If the timeframe holds, Nola will have missed three games after originally injuring the knee sliding into second base against the Astros on Monday. The 30-year-old was slashing .222/.417/.333 across 12 plate appearances before the injury, and his presence is particularly important with Tom Murphy (foot) still without a timetable to return.

Nola (knee) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels, Lauren Smith of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Nola will sit for a second straight game as he continues to battle knee soreness. Joe Odom is once again starting at catcher and hitting ninth in his place Wednesday.

Tromp will start behind the plate and bat ninth in his major-league debut Wednesday against the Padres, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old was dealing with a hamstring injury toward the end of summer camp, but the Giants selected his contract Tuesday and will waste little time inserting him into the lineup. Tromp had a strong showing in 26 games at Triple-A last season with seven home runs and a .999 OPS, and he's set to work as the Giants' secondary catcher behind Tyler Heineman.

Heineman is not starting Wednesday against the Padres, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Heineman will give way to Chadwick Tromp behind the dish Wednesday after starting each of the past three games. In four appearances this season, Heineman is 5-for-13 with a pair of runs scored and a 2:2 BB:K.

Mejia is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game at San Francisco.

Mejia started the past two games but remains hitless through four appearances. Austin Hedges receives the start behind the plate for the Friars on Wednesday.

Sullivan has been added to the Rays' 60-man player pool, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He will provide some catching and outfield depth, but is unlikely to be called up to the big club, barring multiple injuries ahead of him, particularly at catcher. Sullivan hit .280/.333/.459 with 10 home runs and 21 steals in 403 plate appearances at Double-A last year, but he did that as a 25-year-old who was 1.3 years older than the average player at that level.

Perez, who was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a right shoulder strain, won't throw for 7-to-10 days and will be reassessed daily in hopes of shortening his rehab stint.

Perez is one of the best defensive catchers in baseball, so Cleveland obviously wants him back as soon as possible as it attempts to win the AL Central. Sandy Leon and Beau Taylor are set to split the catching duties in the meantime.