MLB Player News

Stassi (wrist) was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday.

He is expected to miss at least the first month of the season after being diagnosed with a broken hamate bone in his left wrist a couple weeks ago. While Stassi is sidelined, Erik Kratz, whom the Astros acquired via trade on Monday, will serve as the backup to Jason Castro.

Monell was reassigned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

Monell didn't stand much of a chance to make the 25-man roster, as he sat behind Kevin Plawecki and Nevin Ashley to be the backup to Travis d'Arnaud. He'll head back to the minors to act as organizational depth.

Casali will not be the starting catcher on Opening Day, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 27-year-old easily outplayed veteran Hank Conger, but manager Kevin Cash decided to start Conger based on the matchup against Marcus Stroman. That being said, if Casali can keep up his .273 average beyond spring training, he could garner more starts as the season goes along.

Grandal (forearm) will catch in Saturday's game against the Angels after being able to play in a minor league game Thursday, David Vassegh of AM 570 reports.

Grandal took a huge step in the right direction Thursday, blasting a home run and throwing out a baserunner in a minor league game. He's set to catch in the Dodgers' matchup with the Angels over the weekend and if he's able to make it through that game, he should be on pace to be on the Opening Day roster rather than the disabled list. This is a significant turnaround for Grandal given that there were reports as recent as last weekend suggesting that he could be starting the season on the DL.

Gosewisch was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Gewis had a putrid spring at the plate, batting below the Mendoza line, so the Diamondbacks will go with Chris Herrmann as their backup catcher to start the season. That being said, Gosewisch could find his way back to Arizona if he hits better in the minors.

Plawecki will likely make the Opening Day roster, Mark Carig of Newsday reports.

There were some doubts that Plawecki could be left off the act roster, but more recent reports seem to be ending that rumor. He'll likely slot back in as Travis d'Arnaud's backup for another season.

Diaz (elbow) will begin the season on the disabled list, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Diaz hadn't been expected to earn an Opening Day roster spot, as he'll instead open the season at Triple-A once healthy.

Barnhart went 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout against the Brewers in Tuesday's exhibition game.

Barnhart is hoping to be a bigger part of the Cincinnati offense this season after only playing in five games last year. He appears to be the team's primary backup catcher behind Devin Mesoraco going into Opening Day. Through 17 exhibition games, Barnhart is batting .243/.349/.432.

Manager Dave Roberts said that Grandal (forearm) may play in a minor league game Thursday, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

This is a nice development, as he's been out of game action for a bit over a week. Grandal is still expected to be present in Los Angeles for their exhibition game Saturday and be ready for Opening Day, and this development certainly makes those hopes much more realistic.

Manager Dave Roberts said Grandal (forearm) will be ready for Opening Day, Eric Stephen of True Blue LA reports.

Grandal will join his teammates in Anaheim on Saturday, and he should be ready for Monday's opener against Tyson Ross and the Padres. The Dodgers start the season with a seven-game week, but they'll be facing some tough pitchers at Petco Park and then AT&T Park. Grandal's health still bears watching, as he was previously expected to miss the first few games of the season.