MLB Player News

Johnson received a spring training invite from the Rangers on Thursday.

Johnson has played in the minors since 2019 and has been at Double-A Frisco since 2023. In Frisco, he has slashed .230/.348/.464 with 14 home runs across 311 plate appearances since he was elevated there. The 26-year-old has now received his second career spring training invite after last receiving one from Detroit in 2020.

The Mariners claimed Raposo off waivers from the Blue Jays on Thursday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Raposo, 26, slashed just .206/.280/.340 with eight home runs over 78 games at the Triple-A level in the Cardinals and Blue Jays organizations in 2024. He's a defensive-minded catcher who will serve as organizational depth.

The Angels acquired Robinson from the White Sox on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations.

The White Sox have acquired Kyle Teel and Matt Thaiss over the last week, so they had a surplus of catching depth. With Logan O'Hoppe and Travis d'Arnaud projected to be the Angels' catching duo in the majors, Robinson is likely to begin the 2025 season as depth at Triple-A Salt Lake.

The Cubs traded Thaiss to the White Sox on Tuesday in exchange for cash, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

The Cubs acquired Thaiss from the Angels in November, but after signing Carson Kelly to a two-year deal, the former became expendable and will now compete for playing time with the Sox. Thaiss slashed .204/.323/.299 with 16 RBI in 186 plate appearances last season, and his main competition during spring training figures to be Korey Lee and prospect Edgar Quero.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on Dec. 10 in an interview on MLB Network that Bart will enter 2025 as the favorite to start at catcher, The Bucco Beat reports.

The Pirates acquired Bart shortly after Opening Day and he eventually emerged as the team's primary catcher, slashing .265/.337/.462 with 13 home runs over 280 plate appearances. Endy Rodriguez will be back from elbow surgery and Henry Davis is still around, so Bart will have competition for playing time behind the plate, but he'll enter the season with a leg up for the starting job.

Kelly signed a two-year, $11.5 million contract with the Cubs on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Over 91 games between Detroit and Texas in 2024, Kelly slashed .238/.313/.374 with nine home runs and 37 RBI. While his numbers may not jump off the page, he'll still provide competition in spring training to Miguel Amaya, who managed just a .645 OPS last season.

The Blue Jays designated Raposo for assignment Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The Blue Jays claimed Raposo off waivers from St. Louis in early August, and he went on to slash .246/.361/.311 with five RBI over 20 games with Triple-A Buffalo. He'll be stripped of his 40-man roster spot to create room for Yimi Garcia, who officially signed a two-year deal with Toronto on Friday, though Raposo will likely remain with the club as organizational depth behind the plate.

The Yankees traded Narvaez to the Red Sox on Wednesday in exchange for Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and international signing bonus pool money, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Narvaez appeared in six games for the Yankees in 2024, during which he went 3-for-13 at the plate with six strikeouts. However, he slashed .254/.370/.412 with 58 RBI and nine stolen bases in Triple-A, and he should have a solid chance to supplant Mickey Gasper as Boston's backup catcher during spring training. Enmanuel Valdez was designated for assignment in order to make room for Narvaez on the 40-man roster.

The Marlins selected Hicks with the second pick in the Rule 5 draft Wednesday, JJ Cooper of Baseball America reports.

The Rockies passed on selecting anyone with the second pick and the Marlins selected Hicks out of the three hole. Hicks was acquired by Detroit from the Rangers at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Carson Kelly to Texas. Hicks is nearly big-league ready but projects to be a backup catcher long term. He'll be competing with Nick Fortes and prospect Agustin Ramirez for playing time behind the dish.

Manager Derek Shelton said Monday that Rodriguez (elbow) is expected to be fully healthy for the start of spring training, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Rodriguez was sidelined for the entire 2024 campaign after undergoing surgery to repair the UCL and flexor tendon in his right elbow in December of 2023. He was able to progress in his recovery enough to go on a rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona in September, and it appears the 24-year-old right-hander will be able to report for the start of spring training. Rodriguez played in 57 regular-season games for the Pirates in 2023 and finished with a slash line of .220/.284/.328 with three home runs and 13 RBI over 204 plate appearances.