MLB Player News

Narvaez will open the season as the backup to primary catcher Welington Castillo, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Narvaez was expected to compete with Kevan Smith for the role in spring training, but the job battle effectively ended last week when Smith sprained his ankle to take himself out of the running. The two backstops were stuck in a timeshare for much of the past season that resulted in Narvaez netting only 295 plate appearances. Narvaez will see his playing time dip further in 2018 if Castillo avoids the lower-body issues that nagged him throughout his time in Baltimore last season.

Mesoraco went 12-for-37 (.324 average) with a home run during Cactus League play.

Back to full health after three consecutive injury-plagued seasons, Mesoraco seems to have rediscovered the form at the plate that made him an All-Star in 2014. Tempting as it might be for the Reds to get his bat in the lineup on a regular basis, Mesoraco has proven unable to hold up to a full-time workload, so manager Bryan Price will likely continue to deploy the backstop only a few times per week behind primary starter and reigning National League Gold Glove winner Tucker Barnhart. With that in mind, Mesoraco warrants interest mostly in DFS formats rather than season-long leagues.

The Mariners reassigned Gosewisch to their minor-league camp Sunday, TJ Cotterill of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

With Gosewisch likely ticketed for Triple-A Tacoma to begin the season, Mike Marjama is slated to open the season as the Mariners' backup catcher behind primary option Mike Zunino. Gosewisch made 11 appearances for the big club in 2017, recording just two hits in 28 at-bats.

The Rays reassigned Casali to their minor-league camp Sunday.

Casali joined the Rays just days earlier on a minor-league deal after being released by the Rangers. Though he won't open the season in the big leagues, Casali will likely be first in line for a promotion to the Rays if one of the team's top two catchers, Wilson Ramos and Jesus Sucre, succumbs to an injury at any point.

The Rays reassigned Moore to their minor-league camp Sunday.

Moore's dismissal means that Jesus Sucre has secured his spot as the No. 2 catcher behind Wilson Ramos. Look for the 33-year-old Moore to open the season at Triple-A Durham.

The Phillies designated Rupp for assignment Sunday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

It became apparent earlier in the spring that the Phillies intended to proceed with Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp as their two catchers once camp broke, so the team will now remove Rupp from its 40-man roster after failing to find a trade partner for the backstop. The Phillies will still have up to 10 days to try and trade Rupp, but if no deal emerges, he'll likely be exposed to waivers and could be claimed by another club looking to add experienced catching depth to its stable.

Caratini was informed Saturday that he made the Cubs' Opening Day roster, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

In a surprise move, Caratini will open the season as the Cubs' backup catcher. The 24-year-old backstop was expected to open the season in the minors, but a strong showing in camp (.243/.391/.378 across 46 plate appearances) prompted the Cubs to keep him over veteran Chris Gimenez. The youngster isn't expected to see regular playing time unless Willson Contreras suffers an injury, so it's still possible he'll head back to the minors for some more consistent playing time if necessary.

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.

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.

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.