MLB Player News

Garver was optioned to Triple-A Rochester.

Garver was nominally in the backup catcher competition this spring. With Garver in the minors, Chris Gimenez and John Ryan Murphy will compete to be Jason Castro's backup. Garver was just 3-for-13 this spring, but hit 12 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A last year. He could be called up as a backup at some point this summer.

Caratini was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Caratini posted a solid season for Double-A Tennessee in 2016, slashing .291/.375/.405 with six homers. The Cubs are set at catcher, however, so the 23-year-old was expected to head back to the minors for 2017. Although he likely won't see major league action anytime soon with Willson Contreras ahead of him, he apparently impressed the Cubs enough to earn their protection from the Rule 5 draft, so we'll see what he has to offer at Triple-A this season.

Hedges is batting fifth and catching in Friday's Cactus League game.

The 24-year-old has been limited to light activities over the past week while recovering from a tweaked hamstring, but it appears all systems are go moving forward. Hedges is off to a blazing start this spring, hitting .474 with three doubles in eight games. He's expected to be the everyday catcher for the Padres this season after racking up 21 home runs and 82 RBI with Triple-A El Paso last year.

Gallagher was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Friday, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports Radio reports.

The 24-year-old hit to the tune of a .259/.348/.359 season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2016 and gets his first taste of the highest farm level. Gallagher will aim to work his way into a major league role if the need for help behind the plate arises this year.

Nola was optioned to Double-A Jacksonville on Friday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

The former middle infielder will work on his transition to catcher at a lower level than his 2016 campaign, when Nola managed a .261/.308/.376 output. Keep an eye this year on whether the 27-year-old can start replicating the success of J.T. Realmuto, who underwent a similar transformation.

Thole was holding his left hamstring as he was helped off the field Wednesday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

The severity of the injury still isn't clear, so he should be considered day-to-day until the Diamondbacks update his status. Thole is just 1-for-9 (.111) this spring, and will likely serve as organizational depth in 2017.

Mejia was optioned to Double-A Akron on Wednesday.

The Indians' top prospect put on a show in major league camp, recently bashing a grand slam against Kansas City on Saturday, but it comes as little surprise that he'll head back to the minor leagues. Even with the return to the minors, Mejia's upside is undeniable given his performance between Low- and High-A last season. The 21-year-old backstopper accumulated 139 hits in 407 at-bats between the two levels and even assembled a whopping 50-game hit streak at one point, and although he'll likely spend most -- if not all -- of the 2017 campaign in Akron, Mejia is bound to appear in Cleveland relatively soon as long as he continues to rake in the minors.

According to manager Ned Yost, Perez (knee/elbow) also hyperextended his left elbow a bit in the collision that removed him from WBC play, which could keep him out for a week, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

The Royals don't seem overly concerned with the backstopper's knee anymore, and it seems like this elbow issue will ultimately cost him more time than the knee injury. Either way, Perez is still projected to be back to full health relatively quickly and expects to be completely ready for Opening Day.

Mesoraco will play in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Padres, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Mesoraco will bat leadoff Wednesday in order to get more at-bats, as he looks to make up for lost time a bit. The 28-year-old has been brought along slowly in camp after undergoing surgery last year to repair his right hip labrum -- he's had surgery on both hips in recent years, and on his shoulder. Mesoraco caught two innings Sunday in his spring debut and will look to gradually increase his workload behind the plate moving forward. The Reds are not expected to break camp with three catchers on the active roster.

Perez's second MRI was returned negative, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Perez was said to be in good spirits Wednesday, having avoided a serious injury as a result of a collision in Saturday's WBC game. The initial MRI showed inflammation in the knee but no structural damage, and the follow-up test confirmed that diagnosis. While Perez is uncertain when exactly he may return to games, he is confident he will be good to go for the start of the regular season.