MLB Player News

Hedges went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs and five RBI in Wednesday's 9-3 win over the Angels in Cactus League play.

Hedges served as the Padres' designated hitter in the contest, but the lineup otherwise resembled the Padres' ideal starting nine for the regular season. The 26-year-old is still competing with Francisco Mejia -- who started at catcher and hit seventh Wednesday -- for top backstop duties, but Hedges' vastly superior defense probably makes him the preferred option. Hedges helped his case by putting his power on display versus the Angels, raising his spring OPS to 1.159 in the process.

Maldonado will play in minor-league games Thursday and Saturday before potentially getting into big-league spring games for the Royals, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

He has not made his Cactus League debut on the big-league side since signing with the Royals, but there has been nothing to suggest he won't be ready to go for the start of the season.

Diaz (illness) was participating in light baseball activities Thursday at the Pirates' spring-training complex, John Perrotto of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Diaz is slowly getting back into playing shape after a viral illness kept him away from camp for two weeks. The missed time will likely result in Diaz opening the season on the injured list, paving the way for Jacob Stallings or another non-roster player to begin the season as the Pirates' backup catcher.

Collins was reassigned to minor-league camp Wednesday.

Collins got to spend the first part of camp with the major-league squad but wasn't considered an option to open the season in the big leagues. He'll get his first taste of Triple-A this season after posting a .234/.382/.404 line with 15 homers in 122 games for Double-A Birmingham last year.

Hedges was starting and hitting eighth for San Diego against Oakland on Tuesday and is slashing .200/.294/.400 with one home run and two RBI through 15 Cactus League at-bats.

Hedges figures to be San Diego's Opening Day catcher and he should have a solid hold on at least a platoon role behind the plate to start the season thanks to his defensive capabilities. However, Francisco Mejia is outperforming him at the plate so far this spring, with a 1.275 OPS. Hedges has pop with the bat, with 32 homers to his name over the past two seasons, but his .636 OPS over his 851 career at-bats suggests he could start to cede at-bats to Mejia when the regular season arrives if the offensive gap between the two persists.

Zavala was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte.

The expectation is that Zavala will be the White Sox's No. 3 catcher this year, playing at Triple-A until an injury opens up playing time on the big-league roster.

Mejia is hitting .385 with three home runs and nine RBI through 26 Cactus League at-bats.

The 23-year-old has been blistering hot so far this spring, and he's making a strong case to stay on the big-league roster and command at-bats when the regular season starts. If he does make the big club, Mejia would in all likelihood be splitting catching duties with veteran Austin Hedges, who is regarded as a better defender. That would diminish Mejia's ability to make a consistent fantasy impact, but if he continues to rake, manager Andy Green could feel compelled to work him into the lineup with regularity, giving him some intriguing upside at a shallow position.

Moore was reassigned to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Moore received a major-league camp invitation with his minor-league deal in February but was never particularly likely to make the team. The veteran has appeared in at least one major-league game in nine of the last 10 years but has only once gotten into more than nine games in a season.

The Braves optioned Jackson to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.

With six hits -- three for extra bases -- and only five strikeouts in 22 at-bats during Grapefruit League play, Jackson turned some heads this spring and might have cemented himself as the organization's No. 3 catcher behind big leaguers Brian McCann and Tyler Flowers. Jackson's defense remains more questionable than his bat, so he may need to show some improvement in the former area before the Braves consider keeping him in the big leagues for an extended stretch.

Jansen has gone 7-for-23 (.304) with a double and a 0:3 BB:K through nine games so far this spring.

While the lack of power is a touch concerning, the 23-year-old is otherwise on track to begin the regular season as the Jays' No. 1 catcher. Jansen has been a popular sleeper pick in drafts, and while the barren fantasy landscape behind the plate has a lot to do with that, his .275/.390/.473 slash line with 12 homers in 88 Triple-A games last year does offer a glimpse at his upside.