MLB Player News

Acosta signed a minor league contract with the Rays on Thursday and will be invited to major league camp, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Acosta was with the Rays organization last season, but played sparingly and elected to be a free agent after the conclusion of the season. He'll return to the team and act as no more than a third-string catcher while Justin O'Conner is sidelined with a back injury.

Stassi is working with Astros manager A.J. Hinch to improve his framing, receiving and stance behind the plate this spring, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports.

"If he makes our team, I want our pitching staff to be comfortable throwing to him," Hinch said of the 24-year-old. "We're going to put in a little bit of work to make sure that his mechanics behind the plate are where they should be, that his body positioning and his hand position are where they should be. He's hungry to get better." Stassi is the favorite to win the Astros' backup catcher job behind starter Jason Castro, but Alfredo Gonzalez, Roberto Pena and Tyler Heineman loom as other internal options for the role, albeit with considerably less experience.

Vazquez (elbow) has been throwing to bases at Boston's spring-training facility in Fort Myers (Fla.), the Boston Globe reports. "He's probably at about 90 percent," manager John Farrell said. "But it's there. You can see that. He'll only get better."

Prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery, Vazquez was known for his arm strength and his ability to control the running game. As such, the Red Sox are closely monitoring his velocity and accuracy. On Friday, Vazquez showed off the accuracy in what was another productive day in his return from the injury. Despite what has been an encouraging rehab, Vazquez is expected to start the season at Triple-A Pawtucket where he can get some game experience before joining the major-league roster.

Plawecki had sinus surgery in December, opening up his blocked right sinus, which doctors believe was the cause of the dizzy spells that plagued the catcher in the past, the NY Daily News reports.

Plawecki is already at the Mets' spring complex to prepare for his role as the team's backup catcher and possibly a small role at first base. If Travis d'Arnaud is sidelined again this season, then Plawecki will step in as the Mets' starting backstop.

Rodriguez signed a minor league contract with the Yankees on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training Friday, Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal reports.

The 30-year-old backstop split time between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season, but couldn't hit above the Mendoza line at either stop. Because of that, he'll likely head back to the minors after spring training concludes.

D'Arnaud will see action at other positions during the spring in an attempt to increase his versatility and potentially find a way to get his bat in the lineup when Kevin Plawecki is behind the plate, the New York Post reports.

Those other positions are likely first base and left field, though d'Arnaud's main work will come behind the plate. D'Arnaud has suffered a variety of injuries while catching, so moving him out from behind the plate has been discussed for a while, but his bat plays much better as a catcher than at another position.

Plawecki will see action at first base during the spring in an attempt to increase his versatility and potentially find a way to get him in the lineup when Travis d'Arnaud is behind the plate, the NY Post reports.

Plawecki saw some time at first base in the minors, so playing the position won't be that foreign to him. It's unlikely he sees much time there, though he could possibly play against lefties when Lucas Duda sits and Wilmer Flores is deployed elsewhere in the infield.

Grandal (shoulder) was cleared to swing from both sides of the plate Friday, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Grandal continues to work his way back from left shoulder surgery, and clearance to swing certainly represents a step in the right direction. Fortunately, the left shoulder issue really only impacts the backstop in the batter's box, as he throws with his right hand like nearly every other catcher. Barring something unforeseen, the 27-year-old should be on track to serve as the Dodgers' primary catcher once again in 2016 despite an underwhelming second half in 2015.

Mesoraco remains on track to be ready for the first day of camp on Feb. 18, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "I've done everything," he said. "I've been hitting for a couple of months. Catching-wise, I've been blocking, throwing, receiving and doing just about everything with no pain."

Mesoraco has reached the final stages of his recovery from season-ending hip surgery, which was undertaken on June 29 to repair a labrum and remove a spur. With hitting and some catching duties already behind him, his next test will likely be manning catcher in exhibitions. When healthy, he'll serve as the Reds' No. 1 backstop, from which he logged 100-plus games in both 2013 and 2014.

Vazquez (elbow) is throwing up to 150 feet and will throw to bases this coming week, WEEI.com reports.

Vazquez was on hand for the Red Sox Winter Weekend event at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, looking noticeably trimmer after having lost 25 pounds during the offseason. He said there's been no setbacks with the elbow and anticipates being 100 percent for spring training. Vazquez is hoping to be ready for Opening Day, but there's a good chance the Red Sox have Vazquez start the season at Triple-A Pawtucket while Blake Swihart and Ryan Hanigan handle the catching chores at the major-league level.