MLB Player News

The A's are open to Soderstrom serving as their backup catcher this season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Soderstrom has progressively seen his playing time behind the plate dwindle as his professional career has progressed, and he appeared there only once in 61 big-league games last season. He's projected to serve as the A's primary first baseman to begin the season, though the team is considering him as the backup to Shea Langeliers to maximize their roster flexibility. While Soderstrom won't enter the season with catcher eligibility in most formats, his potential to pick it up during the campaign would be a significant boost to his fantasy appeal.

Rortvedt will not be allowed to throw for 3-to-4 days after receiving an injection Wednesday in his sore right shoulder, MLB.com reports.

The Rays are hopeful Rortvedt will be ready to return to Grapefruit League play shortly after the brief shutdown period. He's slated to open the season as the team's No.2 catcher behind Danny Jansen.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Smith (ankle) will make his Cactus League debut Friday versus the Angels, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Per Vassegh, Shohei Ohtani (elbow/shoulder) will be making his spring debut Friday as the Dodgers' designated hitter, so Smith looks poised to handle his normal catching duties in his first start of the spring rather than being eased back in a non-defensive role. The Dodgers have been proceeding cautiously with Smith during camp due to a minor ankle injury, but assuming he experiences no setbacks Friday and in his subsequent Cactus League appearances, he'll be available to catch in the team's season-opening two-game series in Tokyo versus the Cubs on March 18 and 19.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that the club is hoping Wong (shoulder) will be ready to make his Grapefruit League debut this weekend, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Wong has been behind schedule due to shoulder soreness, but he will face live pitching Thursday and Friday. If that goes well, Wong will be cleared to play in games. It's not clear whether his initial game action would come as a designated hitter or if he would be allowed to catch right away, but Wong should be ready to serve as Boston's top backstop by the time Opening Day arrives.

Wells is in the lineup for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, starting at catcher and batting fifth, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

The Yankees had previously disclosed a plan to keep Wells out of spring games until March 1, but the catcher will end up making his Grapefruit League debut a bit earlier than expected. In his age-24 campaign, Wells slashed .229/.322/.395 with 13 homers and 55 RBI across 414 regular-season plate appearances, and he should shoulder even more of the workload behind the plate in 2025, if healthy.

Kelly went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks.

Kelly, who signed a two-year, $11.5 million contract with the Cubs in December, connected for his first spring home run in his new uniform. The veteran backstop was brought in to pair with Miguel Amaya, and both players figure to see plenty of playing time, at least to start the season. While Kelly's experience should be valuable for Chicago, he's a limited offensive player with less upside at the plate than Amaya.

Hicks caught Sandy Alcantara on Sunday, and the Marlins' ace came away impressed by his game-calling and pitch framing, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Hicks was selected in the Rule 5 draft from Detroit, giving Miami every incentive to keep him on the 26-man roster, but Hicks is showing early in camp he can make an immediate contribution as well. The 25-year-old backstop went 1-for-2 at the plate Sunday, but it's his work behind the plate that will likely keep him in the majors. Hicks has yet to play above Double-A, and he slashed .264/.379/.357 over 113 games at that level in 2024 split between the Tigers' and Rangers' organizations. If he does secure a spot on the Marlins' roster, he'll back up Nick Fortes to begin the season.

Rortvedt will be held out of action for a few days with right shoulder soreness, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

The Rays do not seem worried that it could be a long-term issue for the catcher. Rortvedt is projected to open the season as the backup behind Danny Jansen.

Wynns (shoulder) went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Giants in Cactus League action.

Wynns made his spring debut Sunday, making his return to game action for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery in July. The catcher appeared in seven games with the Reds in 2024, batting .368 with four doubles, two RBI and three runs scored over seven games.

Dingler went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

Dingler saw 27 games of action during his MLB debut in 2024, and his role figures to grow this year as the presumed Opening Day backup to Jake Rogers behind the plate. If Dingler impresses during camp and gets off to a hot start in the regular season, he could even push Rogers for starting duties, as the former struggled last year with a .197/.255/.352 slash line. Either way, both catchers should have some fantasy utility in deeper formats, though they figure to cap each other's value to a degree while splitting time.