MLB Player News

Contreras (illness) is starting at catcher and batting cleanup for the Cubs' split-squad game against the Padres on Tuesday.

After missing a week of action with the flu, Contreras will make his return to the lineup as anticipated. With the illness behind him now, he can regain his focus in preparing for the regular season as he takes on another season as the primary backstop for Chicago.

Kelly is hitting .130 (3-for-23) with two doubles, two RBI, four walks and two runs in nine spring training games.

The struggles are an extension of Kelly's prior stints against major-league pitching. The 23-year-old backstop slashed just .171/.236/.220 with no homers and seven RBI across 44 regular-season big-league games in 2016-17, and hit just .182 over 33 spring at-bats last season as well. Kelly has been a solid hitter in his last three minor-league stops at Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis, so the expectation is that he'll come around while likely serving as Yadier Molina's backup in 2018. Even a slight improvement in his luck at the plate would help matters, as Kelly has been victimized by abnormally low .182 and .207 BABIPs in his first two regular-season stints.

The Tigers reassigned Rogers to their minor-league camp Tuesday.

Considered one of the best defensive backstops in the minor leagues, Rogers' prowess behind the plate could allow him to reach the majors quicker than most catching prospects, but he doesn't offer many exciting tools from a fantasy standpoint. He at least held his own at the plate while splitting time between the Low-A and High-A levels in 2017, batting .261/.350/.467 with 18 home runs and 14 steals. That could be enough for the Tigers to feel comfortable assigning the 22-year-old to Double-A Erie to begin the campaign.

Smith was sent to the Dodgers' minor-league camp Monday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Smith's bat was fairly quiet this spring, as he went 3-for-14 (.214) at the plate and struck out five times. He figures to spend much of the 2018 season at Double-A Tulsa, as a hand injury limited him to just one game there following his promotion from High-A Rancho Cucamonga last season.

Perez is hitting .364 with three home runs, four strikeouts and one walk in 22 spring at-bats.

Perez is showing off some thump so far as the cleanup hitter, which could be a preview of a potential career year, not because of what he's doing this spring, but because of where he figures to hit in the Royals' lineup. The bulk of his at-bats came out of the five hole last year when Perez hit a career-high 27 home runs. If he brings that same level of power and can stay relatively healthy in his age 27/28 season, he could set career highs in runs and RBI with a regular spot in the four hole.

Mejia will receive some time in the outfield in minor-league camp and early in the season, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The Indians still view Mejia as a catcher, but his bat is considered to be far more advanced than his glove. The team likes the defense of its current catcher tandem, Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez, and they're quite set at designated hitter with Edwin Encarnacion. They experimented with him at third base but did not like what they saw. Outfield could be his best route to the big leagues, as the team's corner outfielders have been hampered by injuries throughout the last two seasons.

Mejia was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

This isn't all too surprising, as Mejia has never been to Triple-A and was expected to open the season there with Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez ahead of him on the major-league depth chart. The 22-year-old prospect could earn a promotion to the majors at some point this season if either Gomes or Perez were to go down with an injury.

Grandal went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and five total RBI in Sunday's spring win over the Rockies.

It was the switch-hitting catcher's third homer of the exhibition campaign, including one against a southpaw, who he has historically struggled against in his career. The Athletic reports that Grandal was tweaking his swing in an effort to increase his launch angle -- and in turn, increase his power output. Grandal was one of just six major-league catchers to reach the 20-homer plateau last season, and he appears poised to post another as long as he can stay ahead of Austin Barnes on the depth chart this year.

Realmuto exited Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees with a lower-back contusion, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto -- who just returned to the lineup after missing time with a knee bruise -- suffered the injury when he collided with Gleyber Torres on a pickoff play in the fourth inning. The Marlins will surely tread cautiously with their prized catcher, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Realmuto held out of action for as long as it takes him to return to 100 percent health. We'll await word from the Marlins with regards to his recovery timeline.

Ruiz was re-assigned to minor-league spring training on Sunday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Ruiz received a non-roster invite to big-league spring training this year, but at just 19 years old, he was never really expected to break camp with the Dodgers. The talented backstop -- who went 6-for-9 during his Cactus League stint -- will likely kick off the 2018 campaign with High-A Rancho Cucamonga or Double-A Tulsa. As things stand, he's likely a year away from making his major-league debut.