MLB Player News

Kirk signed a five-year, $58 million contract with the Blue Jays on Saturday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The deal will buy out Kirk's final year of arbitration in 2026 and then keep him with the team for an additional four years. Kirk has maintained a 109 wRC+ and improved his defense consistently over the course of his big-league career. He is set to be the Blue Jays' primary catcher in 2025.

The Padres designated Sullivan for assignment Saturday.

Sullivan was behind Elias Diaz, Martin Maldonado and Luis Campusano in the pecking order at catcher and wasn't deemed worthy of a 40-man roster spot. Sullivan has accrued 103 plate appearances across the last two seasons in the majors and could continue to serve as organizational depth for the club if he clears waivers.

Davis was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Davis seemed to have the inside track to the backup catcher job for much of spring, and he performed adequately by collecting nine hits across 36 at-bats with four extra-base knocks. However, Endy Rodriguez was even more impressive and has secured a roster spot to begin the season. The Pirates presumably would still like to see Davis make an impact in 2025, so he should make his way to Pittsburgh at some point.

Escarra was informed Saturday that he will be on the Yankees' Opening Day roster.

Escarra has had an impressive spring, maintaining a .936 OPS with five extra-base hits across 48 at-bats. It was reported Tuesday that he was in line to make the team as the backup to Austin Wells, and that is now officially the case. In 2024, Escarra maintained a 119 wRC+ across 493 plate appearances combined between Double and Triple-A.

Wells went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four total RBI against Detroit in a Grapefruit League victory Friday.

Wells accounted for all of the runs in the contest, leading off the game with a solo shot to right field and adding a three-run blast to left-center in the seventh. The backstop has put together a superb spring, slashing .366/.409/.780 with five homers, 10 RBI and 10 runs over 44 plate appearances. Wells has frequently batted leadoff during the exhibition slate, and Bryan Hoch of MLB.com says that Wells "looks like a lock" to hit out of the No. 1 spot versus righties once the regular season begins.

Jansen has been sidelined for the past several days due to a pulled rib muscle, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Jansen has had a really nice spring thus far, going 8-for-25 with two homers, four RBI and six runs scored in 11 games, though he hasn't played since Wednesday. Manager Kevin Cash said Saturday that the Rays hope to get Jansen into one of their final two spring training games, so it doesn't seem that the backstop's injury is anything significant.

The Red Sox plan to install Narvaez as the backup catcher to starter Connor Wong, Chris Cotillo and Christopher Smith of MassLive.com report.

The club on Friday informed Seby Zavala that he will not be added to the Opening Day roster, which paves the way for Narvaez, pending any last-minute additions.

The Red Sox informed Zavala on Friday that he will not make the Opening Day roster, Chris Cotillo and Christopher Smith of MassLive.com report.

Zavala has an opt-out clause in his contract and will huddle with his agent to figure out his next step. This means the Red Sox plan to install Carlos Narvaez as the backup catcher to starter Connor Wong.

Langeliers went 1-for-3 with a home run in Friday's spring training win over Kansas City. He's hitting .316 (12-for-38) with two home runs this spring.

Langeliers is set to return as the starting catcher and could improve upon the 29 home runs and .738 OPS he posted last season with the move to a more hitter-friendly home park.

The Nationals optioned Millas to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

After going just 1-for-18 with six strikeouts this spring, Millas is now out of the race for the backup catcher job in Washington, leaving Riley Adams and Andrew Knizner as the remaining candidates. Millas turned in an .879 OPS in 241 Triple-A plate appearances last season, and he may get another shot in the majors if he can replicate his past performance.