MLB Player News

Thole re-signed with the Blue Jays on a one-year, $800,000 deal Friday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports.

Thole had just been non-tendered by the Blue Jays on Thursday, but he's coming back to the team after being a free agent for just a day. The 29-year-old had a disappointing campaign last season, hitting just .204/.250/.245, but he should get the chance to earn the backup role behind Russell Martin out of spring training.

Thole was not tendered a contract for the 2016 season.

After a frustrating 2015 season for Thole in which he rode the shuttle between the minors and the majors, the catcher will not be brought back by the Blue Jays. The 29-year-old will become a free agent in 2016, and he won't be anything more than a backup catcher wherever he ends up.

The Giants declined to tender Sanchez (ankle) a contract for 2016, Andrew Baggarly of the Bay Area News Group reports.

Sanchez was the odd man out of the catching mix with Andrew Susac (wrist) and Trevor Brown emerging as viable options behind Buster Posey. Ankle and hamstring injuries cut Sanchez's 2015 season short, but he was able to avoid another concussion scare after battling head injuries throughout the second half of 2014.

Schlehuber signed a minor league contract with the Braves that includes an invitation to spring training.

Schlehuber reached Triple-A for the first time last season, but struggled mightily at the plate, slashing .158/.224/.193 in a mere 128 plate appearances at that level. With other options at catcher ahead of him, this signing appears to be nothing more than a move for more organizational depth at catcher.

Garcia signed a minor league contract with the Brewers on Friday.

Garcia split time between Double-A and Triple-A in 2015, struggling to just a .245/.260/.265 after the promotion. He'll likely serve as catching depth with the Brewers, but the 25-year-old could see his first stint in the majors at some point during 2016.

Sanchez is well positioned to be the Yankees' backup catcher in 2016 after John Ryan Murphy was traded to the Twins in exchange for Aaron Hicks on Wednesday.

Sanchez has 20-plus homer upside and the arm to stick behind the plate, so if something were to happen to Brian McCann, he could be useful in most formats. The Yankees may opt to keep Sanchez at Triple-A so that he can get regular at-bats, but he should be seen as the No. 2 catcher on the organizational depth chart at this point.

Mesoraco (hip) has resumed squatting, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Now about four and a half months removed from hip surgery, Mesoraco has been cleared to get into the squat position but has not yet started baseball activities. The plan calls for Mesoraco to return to Cincinnati in December to start working with catching coordinator Mike Stefanski in hopes of being ready for spring training. Mesoraco was limited to just 23 games in 2015, managing two extra-base hits (zero homers) in 51 plate appearances.

Mets assistant GM John Ricco said Tuesday that Plawecki could split time with Travis d'Arnaud at catcher in 2016, Newsday's Marc Carig reports.

A position change could come in the future for either Plawecki or d'Arnaud, but the team has no urgency to make a switch. Plawecki ended up appearing in more regular-season games than d'Arnaud in 2015, with the latter once again missing significant time due to injury. D'Arnaud did far outperform Plawecki at the dish, but Plawecki was more valuable defensively and a timeshare would make sense given d'Arnaud's medical history.

Mets assistant GM John Ricco said Tuesday that d'Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki could split time at catcher in 2016, Newsday's Marc Carig reports.

Ricco also suggested a position change for d'Arnaud or Plawecki could come down the line, but there is no urgency to move either player out from behind the plate at this point. While d'Arnaud hit 12 homers with an .825 OPS in 2015, he once again missed significant time due to injury, something that's been a recurring theme throughout his young career. Splitting time with Plawecki would theoretically keep both players fresh for the long haul.

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal will have surgery on his left shoulder Wednesday, but is expected to be ready for spring training, Eric Stephen of SB Nation reports.

Shoulders can be tricky, so we probably won't have much of a timetable until shortly after the surgery.