MLB Player News

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.

Parada improved his diet and his fitness during the offseason and lost 15 pounds, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The 11th overall pick in the 2022 Draft, Parada has seen his prospect status tumble quickly as the offensive upside he showed in college at Georgia Tech hasn't materialized in the pros. The 23-year-old slashed a meager .214/.304/.359 with 13 homers in 114 games at Double-A Binghamton last year, and his defensive work behind the plate isn't strong enough to get him to the majors on its own. A more athletic Parada should post better hitting numbers in the high minors, but he's got a long way to go to represent any sort of challenge to Francisco Alvarez on the Mets' roster.

Maile agreed to a minor-league contract with the Royals on Sunday that includes an invite to big-league camp.

Maile appeared in 55 games with the Reds in 2024, batting .178 with two home runs, eight RBI, eight runs scored and two stolen bases over 135 at-bats. The catcher will attend spring training with Kansas City, and he'll look to impress in order to potentially secure a spot on the Royals' 26-man roster at some point in 2025.

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.