MLB Player News

Jansen went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

The catcher took Zach Eflin deep in the fourth inning for his first long ball of the spring. Jansen figures to split duties behind the plate with Alejandro Kirk once again in 2024, and he's made some hard contact in camp, going 4-for-20 through seven Grapefruit League games with two doubles in addition to Monday's homer.

The Tigers optioned Dingler to Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

There's currently no room for Dingler on the big-league roster, but he could get a look at some point in 2024 if injury should strike at the catcher position. For now, the second-round pick will catch regularly at Toledo.

Hedges was scratched from the lineup for Monday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers after colliding with a teammate during a pregame workout, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

The team relays that Hedges was scratched out of "an abundance of caution," so expect him to be fine in a day or two. David Fry will shift to catcher and Deyvison De Los Santos has entered the lineup at designated hitter.

The White Sox reassigned Perez to minor-league camp Monday.

Though he was outrighted off the 40-man roster in January, Perez still received an invite to big-league camp as a non-roster invitee. Perez ultimately fell short in his battle for a spot on the White Sox's Opening Day squad, with all of Martin Maldonado, Max Stassi and Korey Lee clearly ahead of him in the pecking order at catcher.

Fry (illness) will serve as the Guardians' designated hitter and No. 8 batter in Monday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers.

Fry hadn't played in any spring games since March 3 due to an illness, but he'll still have plenty of time to get enough at-bats in during Cactus League play and keep himself prepared for the start of the regular season. The 28-year-old sits behind Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges on the depth chart at catcher, but Fry's ability to play first base as well as both corner-outfield spots could help him in his battle for one of the Guardians' available bench roles.

Kirk went 2-for-3 with a double, a two-run home run and a second run scored in a split-squad game against the Orioles on Sunday.

Both extra-base hits came off journeyman right-hander Albert Suarez. Kirk is 5-for-20 to begin his spring with three homers, as the 25-year-old looks to shake off a disappointing 2023 campaign and return to the form that saw him slash .285/.372/.415 with a career-high 14 homers the season before.

Basallo (elbow) joined the Orioles' travel roster for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees and could be deployed off the bench as a designated hitter, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Basallo had been limited at the start of camp while he continues to recover from a right elbow stress fracture, but after responding well over the course of four live batting practice sessions, he's ready to face pitching in a game setting. Though Basallo could end up getting a handful of at-bats in before the Orioles reassign him to minor-league camp, he's not expected to be ready to catch in games until late April. Basallo will likely start the season at Double-A Bowie, but it's unclear if he'll avoid a stint on the injured list since he'll be limited strictly to DH duties for at least the first couple weeks of April.

The Brewers optioned Quero to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Quero was added to the Brewers' 40-man roster in November after slashing .262/.340/.443 with 16 home runs and 51 RBI over 382 plate appearances with Double-A Biloxi in 2023. He'll start 2024 with Triple-A Nashville and could crack into the majors later in the season if he's able to show continued improvement in the minors and/or if the Brewers have a need for another catcher.

The Rangers optioned Huff to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

Earlier in spring training, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy teased the idea of keeping a third catcher on the Opening Day roster behind Jonah Heim and Andrew Knizner, but Huff apparently won't be under consideration for a spot now that he's been an early cut in camp. Even though he's nominally a catcher, Huff provides more value with the bat than he does with his defense, so he likely didn't help his cause by getting off to a 1-for-16 start at the dish in Cactus League play.

Trevino (calf) is starting behind the plate and batting eighth in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Recordreports.

The 31-year-old has been slowed by a calf strain during spring training but played in a minor-league intrasquad game Saturday and will make his spring debut Sunday. Trevino should ramp up his workload over the next couple weeks and is expected to split catching duties with Austin Wells this season.