MLB Player News

Moreno started at catcher and went hitless in his lone plate appearance in Friday's spring opener against Colorado.

Moreno, who will be the primary catcher during the regular season, worked with Arizona's big-ticket offseason addition, Corbin Burnes, who praised the backstop's work in their first turn together. Burnes struck out the side and later told Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports that he left the pitch calling/sequencing up to Moreno. The catcher was also 2-for-2 on pitch challenges, as MLB experiments with the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS) this spring.

Del Castillo will be limited to designated hitter duty initially in Cactus League play due to right arm fatigue, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

The injury does not appear to be a long-term concern, as the Diamondbacks expect Del Castillo to be ready to catch in games by early March. The 25-year-old is competing with Jose Herrera for the backup catcher job behind Gabriel Moreno.

Cleveland placed Fry (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

The transaction doesn't come as a surprise, after Fry underwent surgery in November to address a torn ligament in his elbow. Fry is expected to need 6-to-8 months to recover from surgery before he's ready to serve as a designated hitter, so he could have a chance at being ready to contribute for Cleveland when he's first eligible to come off the 60-day IL in late May. The 29-year-old will require 12 months of recovery time before he's cleared for full throwing, so he won't be an option behind the plate or in the field in 2025.

Murphy believes the oblique injury he suffered Opening Day last season prevented him from ever getting comfortable with his swing, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. "It was a combination of a bunch of things," Murphy said this week. "Missing that much time at the beginning, that's not how I wanted to begin the season. I'm not sure my swing ever felt correct coming off the oblique, not that I was in any pain or hurt. Some things just fell off, and I never caught up and found a way to adjust."

The 30-year-old backstop roared out to an .843 OPS with 21 homers and 68 RBI -- all career highs -- over 108 games in his first season for Atlanta in 2023, but Murphy's production cratered in 2024 through 72 contests after he returned from the oblique strain. The team seems confident that the poor performance was an aberration, however, as Travis d'Arnaud was allowed to leave in free agency, leaving only Chadwick Tromp, Curt Casali and prospect Drake Baldwin competing for the backup job in camp. Murphy still has four more seasons left on the six-year, $73 million contract he signed in 2022, with Atlanta holding a $15 million club option for 2029, so he will be given every chance to regain his previous offensive form.

Contreras (finger) said recently that he added 10-to-12 pounds of muscle over the offseason, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Contreras is moving from catcher to first base this season and is less concerned about flexibility, freeing him up to add some bulk over the winter. The 32-year-old didn't play after Aug. 24 last season due to a fractured right middle finger, but he didn't require surgery and appears to be fully healthy for spring training, as Contreras said that "the ball is jumping a lot better than last year" during his hitting early on in camp. Contreras will remain eligible at catcher in fantasy leagues in 2025, and the move to first base should allow him to play more often and hopefully have a better chance of staying healthy, making him an intriguing selection in draft rooms.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Smith (ankle) is unlikely to make his Cactus League debut until next week, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

The Dodgers will kick off their spring slate Thursday, but Smith looks like he'll be out for at least the team's first four games of the exhibition schedule while he manages an ankle issue. According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, the injury affects Smith only while running, so the veteran backstop has still been able to catch bullpen sessions and take live batting practice thus far during camp. Assuming he completes his running progression in the coming days without issue, Smith should clear up any concern about his availability for the Dodgers' season-opening two-game series versus the Cubs in Tokyo on March 18 and 19.

Stallings will receive the bulk of the starts at catcher for the Rockies this season, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.

Stallings put together the best offensive season of his career in 2024 in his first season in Colorado, slashing .263/.357/.453 with nine homers over 82 games. He then re-signed with the Rockies over the offseason and will enter 2025 atop the catching depth chart, with Drew Romo, Hunter Goodman and Austin Nola competing for the backup job.

Rutschman hit home runs in two live at-bats against Grayson Rodriguez and Albert Suarez during Monday's spring training workout, The Baltimore Sun reports.

Rutschman cratered down the stretch last season with a .207/.282/.303 slash line in the second half, but a long offseason to rest up, the 27-year-old catcher looked re-energized on the eve of the Orioles' first full-squad workout of camp. Perhaps in an effort to prevent Rutschman from wearing down again, the Orioles could look to build in more days off for him or deploy him as a designated hitter more frequently, after he started 100 games behind the plate in 2024 between the regular season and playoffs. Rutschman will have a new backup catcher this season, as the Orioles let James McCann walk in free agency while bringing aboard Gary Sanchez on a one-year, $8.5 million deal.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Wells won't make his Grapefruit League debut until March 1 due to the catcher's heavy workload last season, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Wells played 129 games last season between the regular season and playoffs, so it makes sense for the Yankees to slow play the 25-year-old's entry into the spring lineup. The catcher has been taking live at-bats but has not yet swung the bat early on in camp. Given the uncertainty the Yankees have behind him on the catcher depth chart, Wells could see an even heavier workload in 2025.

Giants manager Bob Melvin said Monday that Murphy is dealing with a mild oblique strain and is expected to return to game action in 7-to-10 days, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Giants had initially labeled Murphy's injury as back spasms, but an MRI detected the oblique strain. Though Melvin is referring to the oblique strain as minor, Murphy still looks set to miss multiple workouts before making his Cactus League debut. The veteran backstop had been limited to just 12 games with the Giants in 2024 due to a sprained MCL in his left knee, but he had received a clean bill of health heading into spring training before the oblique issue cropped up.