MLB Player News

Monell was released by the Rays on Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports.

Monell returned from overseas and inked a minor-league deal with the Rays in January, but an unremarkable showing in spring training (.190/.227/.286 in 22 plate appearances) prompted Tampa Bay to cut him loose. He'll look to latch on elsewhere as organizational catching depth.

Perez suffered a Grade 2 MCL tear and will be sidelined 4-to-6 weeks, Rustin Dodd of The Athletic Kansas City reports.

This is a brutal blow for Perez and the Royals on the eve of Opening Day. According to Maria Torres of The Kansas City Star, the backstop apparently suffered the injury after he slipped while lifting a suitcase. Manager Ned Yost said he doesn't think Perez will need surgery, but the 27-year-old is still set to miss an extended chunk to start the season. Perez's initial recovery timeline puts a possible return date around early-to-mid May, though that could change depending on how his rehab goes. For now, look for Drew Butera to handle primary catching duties for the Royals until Perez is healthy.

D'Arnaud will take a seat for Thursday's Opening Day contest against the Cardinals, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

Manager Mickey Callaway discussed having Kevin Plawecki in the lineup more often against right-handed pitching -- the Mets will face in Carlos Martinez to open up the 2018 season. Even though the Mets are set to go up against three right-handers in this opening series, expect to see d'Arnaud in the lineup this weekend since this doesn't figure to be a strict platoon by any means.

Wallach has earned a spot on the Marlins' Opening Day roster, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

With J.T. Realmuto (back) sent to the 10-day disabled list to begin the year, the Marlins have elected to keep three catchers on the Opening Day roster, with Tomas Telis and Bryan Holaday joining Wallach. Telis will likely serve as the primary catcher until Realmuto returns to the field. Over the course of six career games at the major-league level -- all coming last year with Cincinnati -- Wallach has gone 1-for-11 with five strikeouts at the dish.

Perez was designated for assignment on Tuesday.

Perez lost out to Rene Rivera as the backup catcher. He could get claimed by another team looking for a backup catcher.

Realmuto (back) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto continues to nurse a bone bruise in his back. While he's making solid progress, the Marlins don't want to rush the stud catcher back, especially considering they won't be competing this season. At this point it doesn't sound like Realmuto will need too much time on the shelf, but a clearer return date should start to materialize as he continues to ramp up activities. In the meantime, Tomas Telis will serve as the Marlins' primary backstop.

Diaz will open the season as the Pirates' backup catcher behind Francisco Cervelli, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Diaz's spring got off to a rocky start from a personal standpoint after his mother was kidnapped in his native Venezuela in early February, but things ended on a happier note three days later when she was rescued. The 27-year-old didn't end up missing any significant time in camp and was able to beat out Jacob Stallings and Ryan Lavarnway for the second catcher spot. So long as Cervelli stays healthy, Diaz will likely be limited to a couple starts per week.

Murphy was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Murphy has received brief callups in each of the past three seasons, but he has yet to establish himself at the big-league level. He was beat out for the backup role by Tony Wolters again this season. An injury to Wolters or starter Chris Iannetta would bring Murphy back to the big leagues, and while Coors Field makes him a better fantasy option than other backup catchers, he hasn't done much in his 44 major-league games thus far in his career, hitting just .214. He does at least provide a bit of pop (eight career major-league homers).

McCann went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, his first this spring, in Monday's Grapefruit League tie with the Rays.

With J.D. Martinez no longer in town, the Tigers would like to see McCann take a step forward this season in terms of power and run production. The 27-year-old posted a career best 13 home runs and 49 RBI last season in 352 at-bats, and with better lineup placement and possibly more opportunities in 2018, he could exceed those marks if he stays healthy.

Rupp was released by the Phillies on Monday, Stephen Gross of the Morning Call reports.

Rupp had been an adequate but unremarkable catcher for the Phillies over parts of the last five seasons, hitting .234/.298/.407 in 296 games. It's enough to make him worthy of another major-league job, but it wasn't enough for the Phillies to keep him on their major-league roster over their pair of younger, more promising catchers, Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp. Rupp has a good shot at landing on a major-league roster, though his fantasy value will depend on the quality of the catcher he ends up competing with. If he falls into a decent amount of playing time, he should provide a bit of power to offset his low batting average, as he hit 14 homers in 88 games last season.