MLB Player News

General manager Brian Cashman relayed last week that Sanchez has finished the "heavy lifting" of his rehab from left shoulder surgery and will serve as the Yankees' primary catcher in 2019, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

Sanchez was a major disappointment both offensively and defensively in 2018, slashing just .186/.291/.406 across 374 plate appearances while yielding 18 passed balls, five more than any other backstop. The 26-year-old's lack of defensive polish may force a move to first base or designated hitter down the line, but the Yankees remain hopeful that with improved health, Sanchez can acquit himself well enough to be a passable option behind the dish. For fantasy purposes, Sanchez still projects as an elite fantasy asset at the position if he can avoid the extended absences and terrible luck on balls in play that marred his 2018 campaign.

Plawecki may not begin the upcoming season with the Mets following the Wilson Ramos signing, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports.

Plawecki shared the catching duties with Travis d'Arnaud for most of the 2018 campaign, but he may be on the outside looking in after New York added a solid backstop via free agency in Ramos. The Mets could include Plawecki in a trade to acquire much-needed depth in the bullpen, per Martino, or Plawecki may simply end up at Triple-A Syracuse to begin the 2019 season.

Atlanta does not plan to hold further talks with the Marlins about Realmuto, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The Braves haven't been in touch with the Marlins within the past five days. They appear to be moving on after signing Brian McCann three weeks ago.

McCann agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the White Sox on Friday, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports.

McCann will provide some additional catching depth on Chicago's roster behind Welington Castillo after the team traded away Omar Narvaez two weeks ago. During 118 games with the Tigers this past season, McCann hit just .220/.267/.314 with eight home runs and 39 RBI after having a solid season at the dish in 2017. The 28-year-old should only be considered as a fringe option in two-catcher leagues heading into spring training.

Bethancourt has signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the NC Dinos to play in South Korea in 2019, the Yonhap News Agency reports.

Bethancourt spent all of last season at Triple-A Colorado Springs where he hit .297 with 20 home runs and a .834 OPS. At age 27, it's possible he could return to MLB if he's successful overseas.

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

The Giants obviously have one of the best catchers in the game in Buster Posey, though he's caught fewer than 100 games in each of the last two years, so whoever becomes his backup could make a fair amount of starts. Rupp owns a career .234/.298/.407 line in 296 games, numbers which don't excite but which are perfectly adequate for a backup catcher. He was stuck in Triple-A for the entirety of last season, spending time with three different organizations. He'll primarily be battling Aramis Garcia, who hit .286/.308/.492 in a 19-game cameo last season, for a roster spot.

Gosewisch inked a minor-league contract with Milwaukee that includes an invite to spring training.

Gosewisch has played in 137 major-league games over the course of his career, though only 11 of those have come since the start of the 2017 season. He spent the entirety of this past year at Triple-A Syracuse in the Nationals' system, slashing just .219/.310/.335 with three home runs and 25 RBI. The 35-year-old doesn't have a path to big-league playing time with Manny Pina, Erik Kratz and Jacob Nattingham ahead of him on the Brewers' depth chart.

The Indians traded Gomes to the Nationals in exchange for Daniel Johnson on Friday, Jon Heyman of FancredSports.com reports.

Gomes will likely split time with the recently-signed Kurt Suzuki at the catching position after spending the past six seasons as the primary backstop for Cleveland. The 31-year-old slashed .266/.313/.449 with 16 home runs and 48 RBI in 112 games in 2018. Look for Gomes to provide decent value as a cheaper option at a very thin catcher position.

The Tigers will not tender McCann a contract for the 2019 season, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

As expected, McCann will head to free agency after making just shy of $2.4 million this past season. The backstop slashed just .220/.267/.314 with eight home runs and 39 RBI in 118 games in 2018 and general manager Al Avila previously stated that the club would face a tough decision with McCann due to the Tigers being in a rebuilding mode. Look for McCann to find a home as a reserve catcher in 2019.

The White Sox traded Narvaez to the Mariners on Friday in exchange for Alex Colome.

Narvaez was one of the best hitting catchers in baseball last summer, slashing .315/.401/.502 with nine homers over the final four months. His 122 wRC+ ranked fifth among catchers with at least 200 plate appearances. This trade is great news for his fantasy value, as Narvaez appears primed to serve as a true primary starter with Seattle instead of splitting time with Welington Castillo.