MLB Player News

Gomes (illness) will start at catcher and bat sixth Saturday in the Nationals' Grapefruit League opener versus the Astros, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Gomes missed some time this week while battling an illness, but it wasn't anything that was ever believed to be serious. After coming over from the Indians via trade in November, Gomes is expected to be deployed in a timeshare behind the plate with Kurt Suzuki this season.

Manager Ned Yost said Saturday that Perez will be eased into spring action and may be used primarily as a designated hitter for the first couple of weeks before receiving starts at catcher, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Since hitting the majors in 2011, Perez has consistently shouldered one of the heavier workloads among all catchers, so it makes sense for the Royals to limit his reps behind the dish in mostly meaningless exhibition contests. Perez will still be able to get plenty of at-bats during Cactus League play as a DH and shouldn't have trouble settling into a rhythm at the plate once Opening Day arrives.

Gomes was absent from Thursday's workouts due to an illness, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

This is unfortunate to hear, but it doesn't seem like it will be of any long-term concern. Gomes is still expected to catch the team's Grapefruit League opener Saturday, barring any unexpected lingering effects from this issue.

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.