MLB Player News

Fry's surgically repaired elbow is responding well to treatment, and he's due for his next re-check in March.

Fry was limited to DH duty for the Guardians toward the end of the season in 2024. It's unclear if he'll get a chance to play behind the plate at all when he returns. If not, Fry will lose his catcher eligibility in 2026 leagues.

Rushing fielded grounders at first base following the conclusion of Sunday's workout during spring camp, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Per Ardaya, the Dodgers want Rushing to prioritize his development behind the plate, but that won't prevent the top prospect from getting reps elsewhere in the field. Though he appears near ready to make his big-league debut after posting a .907 OPS over 169 plate appearances in Triple-A last season, the soon-to-be 24-year-old has a tricky path to the big-league roster as Los Angeles signed Will Smith to a 10-year contract last March and exercised the one-year club option on veteran backup backstop Austin Barnes last November. Rushing's likelihood of making the Opening Day roster or being called up within the first few months of the campaign will likely be strengthened if he shows an acumen for first base, and he also spent some time last year in the minors playing left field, though Roberts mentioned that it's "TBD" how much time Rushing will spend in the outfield moving forward.

Murphy will undergo an MRI on Sunday after experiencing back spasms, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It's not believed to be a serious injury, but it's still a concerning development for the veteran catcher, who was limited to 12 games last season due to a knee injury. Murphy is expected to serve as San Francisco's No. 2 catcher this season, but he has played in just 64 contests across the past three campaigns.

Kirk will be counted on to catch more games than ever before in 2025 now that Danny Jansen is no longer a Blue Jay, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The duo split duties behind the plate each of the past three seasons, and while Kirk set a career high with 541 plate appearances in 2022, much of that playing time came at DH. The 26-year-old has never played more than 99 games at catcher in a season, but he's expected to handle about 120 starts at the position this year. Tyler Heineman and Christian Bethancourt are competing for the backup job in spring training, and neither is suited for Jansen's old tandem role. Kirk's swing mechanics were out of sync early in 2024, but from Aug. 1 on he slashed a respectable .269/.335/.404 with 28 RBI in 44 games, production Toronto would be content with given Kirk's strong pitch framing and defensive skills.

Herrera is out of minor-league options as he prepares to compete for the backup catcher job in spring training, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

That Herrera is out of options gives him an advantage in the quest to back up primary catcher Gabriel Moreno. Herrera's advanced defense is another edge over Adrian Del Castillo, who crushed the ball during his MLB debut last season. It's likely the Diamondbacks have Del Castillo head back to Triple-A Reno to hone his defense, while Herrera, who has earned trust in the Arizona clubhouse, grabs a roster spot for Opening Day.

The Phillies plan to give Realmuto fewer starts at catcher this season in order to preserve his body, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Manager Rob Thomson has already spoken to Realmuto about the plan and the two are on the same page. While there is no target number of games for Realmuto to handle behind the plate, he said Thursday that his body "feels as good right now as it ever has" and he believes he can start 120-plus games at catcher, if needed. The Phillies are expected to give Realmuto some starts at designated hitter and first base to keep his bat in the lineup while reducing some wear and tear on him, and they've even floated the possibility of using him in left field on occasion. Slated to turn 34 in March, Realmuto was limited to 99 games in 2024 due to knee surgery, and while he remained productive at the plate, he swiped just two bags after racking up 37 steals on 43 attempts over the prior two seasons. Realmuto blamed the knee for his lack of aggressiveness on the bases, saying he "wasn't able to be as explosive," but he feels like he's "in a good spot" now.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday that Smith is "a little behind" due to an ankle issue, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith has been running on an anti-gravity treadmill, but it's not clear when he might be ready to play in Cactus League contests. He has a tighter window to get ready than most other players this spring since the Dodgers have a March 18-19 series versus the Cubs in Tokyo, but there doesn't seem to be any worry at this point that Smith might be unavailable for those games.

Alvarez retooled his swing mechanics at Maven Baseball Lab this offseason on the recommendation of J.D. Martinez, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports. "I think I can put the ball in the air more, hit the ball to the opposite way more," Alvarez said this week. "I'm very powerful; I don't have to pull every pitch."

The 23-year-old catcher is coming off a disappointing 2024 campaign at the plate, managing just 11 homers and a .710 OPS in 100 big-league games after slugging 25 long balls over 123 games for the Mets in 2023. Alvarez's decline was fueled by an increase in his groundball rate (career-high 52.2 percent) and decrease in his hard-hit rate (30.8 percent, nearly a five percent drop from the year before). While at the lab, Alvarez focused on tweaking his stance and lower-body movement to eliminate a tendency to pull off the ball rather than staying square and driving pitches back up the middle. "He wants to be a complete hitter, not just a power hitter," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "In order for anyone to be a complete hitter, you need to use the whole field." Alvarez's career .221 batting average in the majors doesn't suggest he'll suddenly be challenging for batting titles, but there is plenty of room for improvement in his 2024 performance.

Manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Rice will work out with the team's catchers in camp in addition to taking reps at first base, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Rice has nearly 1,000 innings of catching experience under his belt in the minors, but his defense behind the plate likely isn't strong enough for him to profile as anything more than a backup option at the position in the majors. Still, if Rice can acquit himself well in his catching opportunities during the spring, it could be his ticket to a spot on the Opening Day roster, as the Yankees already have Paul Goldschmidt and Giancarlo Stanton locked in as regulars at first base and designated hitter, respectively. Meanwhile, Austin Wells appears secure as the Yankees' No. 1 catcher, but J.C. Escarra and Jesus Rodriguez -- neither of whom has made their MLB debut -- are the only other backstops on the 40-man roster. Rice hit just .171 and struck out in 27 percent of his plate appearances in his first taste of the majors last season, but he flashed power (seven home runs, six doubles) and drew walks at an 11.6 percent rate.

Manager Pat Murphy said Wednesday that he expects Quero (shoulder) to be playing in Cactus League games at some point this spring, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Quero had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder last April but estimated Wednesday that he's at "75 to 80 percent" physically. The catching prospect was limited to just one game with Triple-A Nashville before getting injured and is likely headed back to Nashville to begin the 2025 campaign.