MLB Player News

Stewart signed a one-year major-league contract with the Braves on Wednesday.

The 11-year veteran has played for six teams in his major-league career. The journeyman backup has only once received more than 190 plate appearances. He'll begin the season as the Braves' third catcher behind Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki, though his major-league contract means he has a good chance to be the first catcher called upon in the event of an injury.

Murphy is expected to be in the mix for backup catching duties to start the 2018 season, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Murphy was expected to be in the mix for the starting gig in 2017, but injuries incurred during spring training and struggles in the minors kept him from ever garnering that role. Now that Chris Iannetta is in the fold, it seems that the prospect will need to settle for backup duties for now. His main competition is Tony Wolters, although Murphy seems to possess more offensive potential given his raw power ability. Regardless, Murphy will need to show that 2017 was simply a fluke if he wants to regain his high standing in the organization.

Diaz will report to the Pirates' spring training facility in Bradenton, Fla. on Monday after his mother, Ana Soto, was rescued three days after being kidnapped in Venezuela, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic Pittsburgh reports.

With his scary family situation now having been resolved in welcome fashion, Diaz can now turn his focus to winning an Opening Day roster spot for the Pirates. The 27-year-old will likely open the season in a backup role behind Francisco Cervelli, but the latter's health woes in recent seasons could put Diaz in store for extended playing time at some point in 2018.

Jackson has received a non-roster invite to spring training.

Jackson spent 2017 at Double-A Mississippi, where he slashed .255/.317/.427. The 22-year-old catcher has shown steady improvement throughout his first four seasons in the minors, especially at the plate. He'll need to focus his attention on improving defensively behind the dish if he wants to make it to the major leagues.

The Astros have engaged in trade talks for Realmuto, Craig Mish of SiriusXM reports.

Houston is reportedly considering Miami's request of outfielder Kyle Tucker, who currently is the second-ranked prospect in the Astros organization, per RotoWire. The Astros appear to be well-stocked at catcher with Brian McCann, Evan Gattis and Max Stassi, but Gattis is expected to take on a greater role as the designated hitter while Stassi has just 89 plate appearances at the MLB level over five seasons. The World Series champions may not be comfortable heading into 2018 carrying catchers with such limited MLB experience backing up or sharing time with the soon-to-be 34-year-old McCann. Realmuto's attractive value among fantasy backstops has been defined by his across-the-board offensive steadiness and nearly uninterrupted playing time in Miami. It'd be difficult to think Houston would heavily side with McCann over Realmuto, given the offensive upgrade the latter would provide. Still, he might be stuck in a near-even split, depending on what batteries the staff impose. That being said, holding a place in this stacked lineup, even in part-time duty, likely would sustain Realmuto as a top-10 fantasy catcher in most mixed formats.

Murphy has received an invitation to the Athletics' spring training as a non-roster invitee, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Murphy was drafted in the third round of the 2016 draft and was able to work his way up to Double-A Midland last season. The young backstop struggled at the plate, slashing .209/.288/.309 in his 217 plate appearances. The 23-year-old still has some refining of his game left to do before he's major-league ready.

Romanski was handed a 100-game suspension after testing positive for amphetamine for the second time in as many offseasons, Emily Waldon of The Athletic reports.

Romanski was initially given a 50-game suspension last December and will start off consecutive seasons on the shelf. The catcher split time between the Double- and Triple-A level in 2017, and hit .286/.298/.304 during 15 games with Pawtucket.

Stephenson (thumb) successfully made it through instructional league games in Arizona without aggravating his thumb injury and will move up to High-A Daytona to start 2018, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.

Stephenson was able to avoid surgery on his thumb after seeking and receiving a second opinion on the injury. He has played only 119 games the last two seasons due to multiple injuries.

Thaiss was invited to attend spring training as a non-roster invitee, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Thaiss started the 2017 season at High-A Inland Empire, where he played 84 games before earning a promotion to Double-A Mobile. He impressed with Mobile, where he posted an outstanding .412 on-base percentage over 49 games. Between the two levels, the 22-year-old combined to slash .274/.375/.395.

Moore signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on Saturday which includes an invitation to spring training, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports.

Moore will serve as organizational depth at the catching position for the Rays, although he will likely spend most of the season at the Triple-A level barring an injury. In 2017, he played in 76 games for Triple-A Columbus within the Indians' system, slashing .238/.313/.369 with eight home runs and 33 RBI. Moore has appeared in just 30 major-league games over the last seven seasons.