MLB Player News

Dingler (elbow) will come off the bench and work behind the plate in Friday's spring game against the Phillies, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The 25-year-old underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow during the offseason, and he's now game ready after being limited with his throwing at the start of camp. Dingler was added to Detroit's 40-man roster in November in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, and he could make his MLB debut at some point in 2024.

Ruiz (illness) is starting behind the plate and batting third in Friday's spring game against the Astros, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Ruiz sat out the past couple days due to an illness but will rejoin the lineup for Friday's contest. The 25-year-old is looking to take another step forward in 2024 after he posted a .260/.308/.409 slash line with 18 homers in 136 games last season.

Naylor (back) was cleared to catch a simulated game Thursday, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Naylor has been held out since Monday due to back spasms, but getting behind the plate for a sim game is a good sign that the 24-year-old backstop will be able to return to Cactus League play relatively soon. Naylor is in line to serve as Cleveland's everyday catcher this season after slashing .237/.339/.470 across 230 plate appearances in 2023.

Angels manager Ron Washington said Thursday that he's hoping to have O'Hoppe make 125-to-135 starts at catcher this season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

It's a rough estimate by the skipper, and O'Hoppe could potentially make some additional starts at designated hitter. The 24-year-old backstop missed nearly four months with a torn labrum in his left shoulder last season but offered plenty of thump when in the lineup with 14 homers in just 51 games. Nine of those 14 longballs came in September. If he can stay healthy in 2024, O'Hoppe offers breakout potential.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton indicated Thursday that Grandal resides at the top of the catching depth chart but will need to have his workload limited, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

While it sounds like Shelton technically views Grandal as the starting catcher, he noted that Grandal is 35 years old and catching 100 games this season is "not going to happen." Shelton also indicated that the No. 2 catcher role is undecided, but whoever wins the job is "going to be in tandem a little bit" with the veteran. Grandal finished with just a .234/.309/.339 slash line over 405 plate appearances with the White Sox last season and doesn't make for a very appealing fantasy option.

Basallo (elbow) took on-field batting practice Thursday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Basallo doesn't look poised to take part in Grapefruit League games anytime soon, but the 19-year-old backstop is seemingly coming along well in his recovery from a stress fracture in his right elbow. In addition to taking part in batting practice, Basallo has already been able to do some throwing during camp. He's expected to open the season at Double-A Bowie, though he may be in store for a brief stint on the 7-day injured list to begin the campaign.

Mejia signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mejia was abruptly released by the Angels over the weekend but has quickly found new work in a familiar spot. Topkin notes that Alex Jackson is still expected to be Rene Pinto's backup, but Mejia will provide depth at catcher and is already familiar with much of the pitching staff.

Wong (elbow) will start at catcher in Saturday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Nationals, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Wong has been limited to designated hitter duties so far while tending to a right elbow issue, but he appears to have put that behind him. The 27-year-old is in line to receive the bulk of the starts at catcher for Boston this season.

Raleigh went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run in the Mariners' Cactus League loss to the Royals on Wednesday.

Raleigh connected off Chris Stratton with Nick Solak and Alberto Rodriguez aboard in the third inning to extend the Mariners' lead to 4-0 at the time. The slugging backstop has belted 57 homers over the last two seasons, and he'll once again be counted on as a primary power source in Seattle's lineup while logging the majority of the time behind the dish. Mitch Garver, signed by the Mariners in the offseason, is expected to serve as the designated hitter almost exclusively.

Sanchez (hand) will take batting practice Wednesday, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Sanchez will be getting in his first BP of the spring, as he's slightly behind the Brewers' other position players in camp due to the right hand issue he suffered in an offseason workout. The 31-year-old -- who previously fractured the hand in September -- caught a live batting practice session Tuesday. At this stage, his ability to swing the bat comfortably may be of greater concern than his ability to play defense.