MLB Player News

Diaz did not practice Wednesday due to illness, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

There haven't been any suggestions that Diaz will miss significant time, so his status for Opening Day shouldn't be threatened. He's expected to back up Francisco Cervelli again this season.

Stassi believes he found the root cause of his offensive fade over the second half of 2018, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Stassi was a surprise contributor in 2018, when he opened with nine extra-base hits over his first 74 plate appearances on his way to a .787 OPS in the first half. Opposing pitchers adjusted and Stassi faded to a .485 OPS after the All-Star break, forcing the Astros to add Martin Maldonado and move Stassi to third on the depth chart. The problem, according to Stassi, is that he'd "come out" of his legs in his batting stance and, therefore, was unable to cover all parts of the strike zone. The 27-year-old returns in 2019 as the primary backup to Robinson Chirinos and must discover a way to sustain offense for the full season.

Manager Dave Martinez said he plans to split catching duties between Gomes and Kurt Suzuki, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Gomes was traded from the Indians to the Nationals in late November, shortly after the team signed Suzuki. Gomes slashed .266/.313/.449 with 16 home runs in 435 plate appearances last season, but Suzuki has been similarly impressive at the plate over the last two seasons. Gomes should still come out ahead in terms of playing time due to his age and superior defense, but it appears as though he won't begin the season in a traditional everyday role.

Moore signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Thursday which includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of FancredSports.com reports.

Moore spent the majority of last season at Triple-A, hitting just .219/.260/.347 in 58 games with Durham. The veteran backstop owns a career .199/.239/.312 slash line across parts of nine major-league seasons (104 games).

Casali had hip surgery over the offseason, but he's expected to be ready for Opening Day, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Casali was an ideal backup for the Reds last season, hitting .293/.355/450 in 156 plate appearances. But barring an injury to starter Tucker Barnhart, he's unlikely to get more playing time this year, and of course there's plenty of danger in relying on his small sample size from last year as a candidate to repeat.

Sanchez (shoulder) will get back to playing in games during the second week of the spring training schedule, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

The backstop underwent shoulder surgery in November, and though he's already through the biggest part of his rehab, the Yankees are still planning to ease him back into game action. It doesn't seem like there's any reason for concern in terms of Sanchez's health. Barring any extraneous circumstances, he expects to be ready by Opening Day with the hope of bouncing back following a disappointing season in which he slashed just .186/.291/.406 with 18 home runs and 53 RBI.

Realmuto was traded from the Marlins to the Phillies on Thursday in exchange for catcher Jorge Alfaro, pitchers Sixto Sanchez and Will Stewart, and international slot money, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Realmuto is one of the top catchers in the entire league, and after an offseason filled with trade rumors, he finally found a new home for at least the next two seasons. The 27-year-old is coming off his first 20-homer campaign while batting at least .275 for the third consecutive season. Now that he'll get to hit in hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Ballpark, there's a good chance he could repeat if not exceed those figures as he aims to garner his second All-Star selection.

Mesoraco signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training.

The oft-injured catcher split time between the Reds and Mets last season, compiling a .221/.303/.398 slash line with 11 homers and 33 RBI. With Wilson Ramos in town, Mesoraco will have to battle with Travis d'Arnaud and Tomas Nido for backup catcher duties to start the season, further limiting his fantasy upside.

Collins will begin the 2019 season at Triple-A Charlotte, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Collins has followed a traditional path through the organization and will be one step below MLB. The White Sox are still working with him defensively, but as a team in rebuild mode, they can expose him to the majors without much concern. At the plate, Collins bashed 17 home runs each of the last two seasons and has elite on-base skills.

Perez (hamstring) said Friday that he's "completely" ready to go for spring training, Juan C. Toribio of MLB.com reports.

After being acquired from the Diamondbacks on July 31, Perez had a brief, but productive run as the Rays' top catcher before his season came to an end in late August when he strained his left hamstring. He was cleared to return to action for a couple of winter-ball games in Puerto Rico and experienced no setbacks in those contests, giving him full confidence in his health heading into the spring. Perez will likely work as the Rays' No. 2 backstop in 2019 after the team traded for Mike Zunino earlier in the offseason.