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Mike Ohlman C | TEX
Red Sox's Michael Ohlman: Shipped to Boston
Ohlman was traded to Boston on Saturday for cash considerations.
Ohlman had signed a minor-league deal with the Rangers in January after spending 2017 in the Blue Jays organization. He made his big-league debut for Toronto last season, appearing in seven games. The 27-year-old will provide organizational depth for the Red Sox and is unlikely to play more than the occasional game in the majors.
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Christian Vazquez C | HOU
Red Sox's Christian Vazquez: Signs contract extension
Vazquez agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Red Sox on Saturday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.
This deal will lock Vazquez up through the 2021 season with a club option for the following year. His salary will increase each season, starting at $2.85 million in 2019, then reaching $4.2 million in 2020 and $6.25 million in 2021. Vazquez is set to make $7 million in 2022 if the team picks up the option, which also includes a $250,000 buyout. Last year, the catcher hit .290/.330/.404 with five home runs and 32 RBI in 99 games.
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Jacob Stallings C | BAL
Pirates' Jacob Stallings: Optioned to Triple-A
Stallings was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday.
Stallings unsurprisingly failed to crack the Opening Day roster with Francisco Cervelli and Elias Diaz making the team as the two catchers. The 28-year-old has only appeared in 10 major-league games over the course of his career and will continue to serve as organizational depth moving forward.
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J.T. Realmuto C | PHI
Marlins' J.T. Realmuto: Could start season on DL
Realmuto (back) will not be ready for Opening Day and could begin the season on the disabled list, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.
According to manager Don Mattingly, it's "highly likely" that he will land on the DL, while J.T. Riddle (shoulder) is in the exact same position. There should be a more definitive answer to his timetable in the coming days, but either way, expect Tomas Telis to start the season as Miami's catcher.
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Max Stassi C | SF
Astros' Max Stassi: Will be second catcher
Stassi, who was informed Friday he made the team, will be the primary backup to starter Brian McCann, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Manager A.J. Hinch said Stassi would catch more games than Evan Gattis, who will be the third catcher and the primary designated hitter. McCann is entering his age-34 season and last year played in his fewest games since he was a rookie, suggesting that Stassi's role has potential to lead to significant plate appearances.
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Oscar Hernandez C | BOS
Red Sox's Oscar Hernandez: Handed 50-game suspension
Hernandez was suspended 50 games for a second positive test for a drug of abuse, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.
Hernandez is currently on the Triple-A roster after signing a minor-league deal with the Red Sox in January. The 24-year-old will be able to return to action in late May, but is unlikely to make an impact in the big leagues at any point in the 2018 season.
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Max Stassi C | SF
Astros' Max Stassi: Makes Opening Day roster
Stassi was told that he made the Astros' roster, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
He will be the team's third catcher, but with backup Evan Gattis spending a lot of time as a designated hitter, Stassi will have plenty of opportunities to play. As a righty, he could start often against southpaws over the left-handed Brian McCann. Stassi has received brief call-ups in each of the last five seasons, compiling a .253/.318/.405 line in 89 plate appearances. He hit .266/.383/.473 with 12 homers in 73 games for Triple-A Fresno last season. His presence in a loaded Houston lineup could pad his counting stats, but he's unlikely to play often enough or well enough to be much of a factor in most fantasy leagues.
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Chris Stewart C | ATL
Braves' Chris Stewart: Could break camp with Braves
Stewart is still in the running for the final spot on the Braves' Opening Day roster, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
With Johan Camargo (back) headed for the DL, the Braves are deciding between an additional utility player like Danny Santana, or a third catcher in Stewart, which would allow the team to use Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki as late-game pinch hitters. For his part, Stewart has had a decent spring in his limited opportunities, going 4-for-12, but the 36-year-old is highly unlikely to see enough playing time to have any real fantasy value even if he does win the job.
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Tomas Nido C | DET
Mets' Tomas Nido: Optioned to minors
Nido was optioned to minor-league camp Friday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.
This comes as no surprise, as Travis d'Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki are firmly entrenched as the Mets' top two catchers and Nido has yet to play above Double-A. He will likely head to Triple-A Las Vegas for the minor-league season and then join the big-league club when rosters expand in September, if injuries don't create a spot for him back in New York sooner than that.
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Austin Hedges C | CLE
Padres' Austin Hedges: Will be fine after HBP on calf
Manager Andy Green said that Hedges will be okay after being hit by a pitch on the left calf Thursday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic San Diego reports.
The HBP forced Hedges from Thursday's contest, but it doesn't appear to be anything that'll affect him moving forward. The Padres could opt to hold Hedges out of their next spring training game Friday against the Rangers as a precaution but beyond that, Hedges should be back behind the plate in the near future.