MLB Player News

Ohlman signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Tuesday which includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of FanRagSports.com reports.

Ohlman spent most of the 2017 season with Triple-A Buffalo, though he earned a few promotions to the Blue Jays throughout the season. He struggled at both stops, however, hitting just .216/.334/.401 in 90 games with the Bisons and .231/.231/.231 in seven games with the Blue Jays. While he'll have a chance to compete for the Rangers' backup catching gig in spring training, it will be tough for him given Texas already has three catchers on its 40-man roster.

Hernandez has signed a contract with Boston, Alex Kolodziej of FanRag Sports reports

Hernandez last played in the big leagues back in 2016 with the Diamondbacks, where he only made 11 plate appearances -- the 24-year-old catcher spent 2017 in Double-A Jackson, slashing a disappointing .197/.182/.348. Look for Hernandez to start the season at Triple-A Pawtucket, where he figures to provide additional depth for Boston's minor league system behind the dish.

Bethancourt signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers on Monday which includes an invitation to spring training.

Bethancourt has spent parts of each of the previous two seasons as a two-way player for the Padres, though he hasn't found much success in either role. The 26-year-old hit just .225/.261/.360 across 211 plate appearances with San Diego over the past two seasons while allowing nine runs (six earned) on six hits and eight walks across 5.1 innings over that same span. It's unclear if the Brewers will continue to use Bethancourt as a two-way player at this point, but at the very least, look for him to offer organizational catching depth in 2018.

Vazquez said that he needs to get better at calling a game, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports,

Vazquez carries a reputation as an elite defensive catcher but is still learning the art of pitch sequencing and playing to the strength of a pitcher. He's rebounded nicely from Tommy John elbow surgery in 2015 and emerged as Boston's leading catcher. The 27-year-old essentially split the catching chores with Sandy Leon in 2017, but Vazquez was the much better hitter (.290/.330/.404) and should get the greater share of at-bats in 2018. In addition to his surprising hitting results, Vazquez's arm came back to pre-surgery strength, as he threw out 21 of 50 would-be base stealers.

Rosario signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

Rosario played in 50 games for Triple-A Memphis in the Cardinals' system in 2017, but also appeared in 23 games for the big-league club during the past two seasons. The soon-to-be 31-year-old hasn't been able to find any success during his brief opportunities in the majors, but he will provide organizational depth for the Diamondbacks heading into 2018. Last season at Triple-A, he slashed .247/.291/.279 with 23 RBI and six extra-base hits.

Sanchez agreed to a minor-league deal with the Giants on Thursday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Sanchez will return to the Giants' organization, where he spent the first nine years of his career before appearing with the White Sox and Padres in 2016 and 2017. Buster Posey and Nick Hundley have the catching duties locked down at the major-league level, so Sanchez will kick things off in the minors in 2018.

Davis signed a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training with the Cubs on Friday, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Davis was recently non-tendered by the Cubs at the beginning of the month, but the club will bring him back on a minor-league deal after he spent most of the 2017 season with Triple-A Iowa. During that time, he slashed .297/.357/.429 with six home runs and 62 RBI. He wound up playing in eight games for the big-league team as well, but there won't be much use for him at the major-league level with Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini on the roster.

Mesoraco (foot) is expected to serve as the backup to Tucker Barnhart in 2018, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.

Mesoraco has only been able to appear in 95 games over the past three years due to various injuries, including labrum tears in both hips, a left shoulder ailment, and most recently a broken foot which caused him to miss the rest of the 2018 season after sustaining the injury in mid-August. Moving forward, he will be behind the plate a couple times a week but mainly utilized as a pinch hitter in late-inning situations. During the 2017 season, Mesoraco slashed .213/.321/.390 with six home runs and 14 RBI in 56 games.

Barnhart will be the primary catcher heading into the 2018 season, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Coming off a terrific season that saw him win the National League Gold Glove award, Barnhart will earn the "lion's share of the playing time" according to manager Bryan Price. Due to Devin Mesoraco's inability to stay off the disabled list -- coupled with Barnhart's performance -- the Reds will utilize the former All-Star as a backup and pinch hitter in the later innings. Barnhart was rewarded with a four-year, $16 million contract in September, after slashing .270/.347/.403 with seven home runs and 44 RBI in 2017.

Heim was traded to Oakland as the player to be named in the deal that sent Joey Wendle to Tampa Bay earlier in the month, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Heim split time last season between Single-A Charlotte and High-A Bowling Green, hitting an unremarkable .260/.317/.402 with nine homers in 93 games across both levels. The switch-hitting backstop hasn't really impressed in the lower minors to this point, and seeing as he's still 22 years old, there's a good chance he repeats High-A again next season.