MLB Player News

D'Arnaud went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles.

The 29-year-old could be in line to lose playing time behind the plate to Kevin Plawecki under new manager Mickey Callaway, but d'Arnaud is certainly making a positive impression on his new bench boss this spring, going 10-for-31 with three doubles, two homers and a 6:5 BB:K. Perhaps most importantly, d'Arnaud has looked healthy so far in camp, and if he can avoid the lengthy DL stints and lingering injuries that have plagued his career to date, he could still have some upside left in his bat.

In his second full spring training working with Jon Lester, Contreras is drawing high marks from the veteran left-hander, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Last spring, there was some uncertainty over who would catch Lester after the retirement of David Ross, who had served as the lefty's personal catcher. While Lester's ERA did jump from 2.44 in 2016 with primarily Ross behind the plate to 4.33 last year, Contreras was able to catch 12 of the 31 runners who tried to steal against Lester. Contreras also tied for the MLB lead with six catcher pickoffs. "As far as working with him and the way he goes about it, I love everything he does back there," Lester said. This bodes well for the young catcher's playing time outlook, as he won't be sitting every time Lester starts, though the team will no doubt still look to find regular rest opportunities for Contreras to keep him fresh.

Haase was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Monday, T.J. Zuppe of The Athletic Cleveland reports.

Haase has held his own this spring, hitting .250/.348/.750 with three homers in 23 plate appearances, but he was never expected to break camp with the Indians with Roberto Perez and Yan Gomes ahead of him at the major-league level. Instead he'll report back to Columbus to open the season, where he should spend the majority of the campaign after working mostly with Double-A Akron in 2017.

Realmuto (back) is scheduled to play catch Monday and remains on track to be ready for Opening Day, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

The backstop is healing a little slower than anticipated after sustaining a lower-back contusion March 11, but the Marlins believe he'll be able to return to the Grapefruit League lineup soon and get in enough at-bats before spring training ends. If his throwing session Monday goes without a hitch, Realmuto could add more baseball activities to his ledger in the next few days before the Marlins clear him to catch in games.

McCann will start at catcher and bat sixth in the Detroit lineup for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

All of the team's projected regulars are starting Monday, so it would appear McCann is tentatively penciled in as the Tigers' No. 6 hitter for the Opening Day lineup. Should McCann stick in that spot for the balance of the campaign, he would likely be in good position to surpass the career-high 49 RBI he tallied in 2017 with Miguel Cabrera, Nick Castellanos and Victor Martinez slotting directly ahead of him in the order. McCann is also aided by having less competition for starts behind the plate now that right-handed masher Alex Avila is out of the way. The two backstops split time last season before Avila was dealt to the Cubs in late July.

Wynns was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Wynns spent the 2017 season at Double-A Bowie, where he hit .281/.377/.419 over 105 games. This will mark his first extended stay with Bowie, as Wynns has played just eight games with Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate so far in his career. This spring, Wynns went 4-for-18 (.222) with five walks and two home runs.

Gomes (arm) will bat second and catch for the Indians in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Mariners, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Gomes was only sidelined the past two days with the sore arm, so it appears his absence was largely precautionary. The veteran is slated to split duties behind the plate with Roberto Perez this season.

The Athletics reassigned Murphy to their minor-league camp Sunday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Murphy wasn't a serious contender for the backup catching job in Oakland while attending his first big-league camp. The 23-year-old is likely bound for a second tour at Double-A Midland after slashing just .209/.288/.309 in 217 plate appearances in the Texas League following a midseason promotion in 2017.

Sanchez (hamstring) is listed as an available bench player for the Giants in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Rockies, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Sanchez looks to be reasonably healthy after the hamstring injury had kept him out of Cactus League action since Feb. 28, but his remote chances of winning an Opening Day roster spot are likely dashed at this point. The Giants appear poised to enter the season with Buster Posey and Nick Hundley as their two backstops.

The Royals optioned Gallagher to Triple-A Omaha on Sunday, Maria Torres of The Kansas City Star reports.

Gallagher's dismissal essentially locks Drew Butera into the Opening Day roster as the backup to starting catcher Salvador Perez. The 25-year-old Gallagher received his first taste of the big leagues in 2017, going 6-for-24 at the dish while appearing in 13 contests.