MLB Player News

Trevino (calf) has been catching live batting practices and bullpen sessions and could be cleared for games soon, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Trevino ramped up his activities Tuesday and is slated to continue upping the progression for the rest of this week. If he gets through that with no issues, it sounds like he'll be cleared for Grapefruit League contests at that point. Trevino has been slowed by a calf strain he suffered before camp opened.

Herrera is in line to share the catching duties with Willson Contreras in 2024, Lynn Worthy of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Herrera, 23, has a clear path to the backup role after Andrew Knizner signed with the Rangers in the offseason. Herrera is focusing on building rapport with the Cardinals' overhauled pitching staff this spring. Considering Contreras is turning 32 in May, he may see some additional time at designated hitter if Herrera performs well enough to command extra playing time behind the dish.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Realmuto is on track to make his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday versus Atlanta, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto and first baseman Bryce Harper have been spectators for the Phillies' first four spring games, but neither is dealing with an injury and both are just getting extra time to ramp up before being thrust into action. Because Realmuto will likely shoulder one of the heavier workloads among all catchers in the league during the upcoming season, the Phillies will likely ease up on his usage during the spring and instead hand Garrett Stubbs, Rafael Marchan (back) and Cam Gallagher more opportunities behind the dish. Largely because of the high volume of starts he's historically handled, Realmuto will likely continue to be drafted as a top-five fantasy catcher, even though he may be more of a neutral rather than a positive asset in batting average these days after he hit .252 while striking out at a career-worst 25.7 percent clip in 2023.

Naylor has been scratched from the lineup for Monday's Cactus League game against the Padres due to back spasms, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Naylor had been slated to serve as the Guardians' designated hitter Monday but will be replaced by Dom Nunez. At this point, it's not clear whether the back issue is a day-to-day situation or potentially something more. Naylor is projected to serve as Cleveland's primary catcher in 2024.

Wong (elbow) went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI as the designated hitter in Sunday's spring game against Atlanta.

Wong is being held back from catching chores for a few games, but the injury doesn't prevent him from swinging a bat. He did play catch Sunday and is expected to throw to bases by midweek. Once the arm strength is built up, Wong will resume duties behind the plate.

The Angels released Mejia on Sunday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Mejia joined the Angels on a minor-league contract in December after slashing .227/.258/.400 with five home runs and 19 RBI over 160 plate appearances with the Rays last season. He was set to compete with Matt Thaiss for the backup catcher spot, but now Mejia will be on the lookout for a new team for the 2024 season.

Gallagher signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Sunday that includes an invitation to major-league camp, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Rafael Marchan (back) is a bit banged up early in camp, so the Phillies elected to bring aboard Gallagher for some extra catching depth. Gallagher appeared in 56 games for Cleveland last season but was awful at the plate with a .126/.154/.168 slash line and 30.9 percent strikeout rate.

Wong (elbow) is batting eighth as the designated hitter for Sunday's spring game against Atlanta.

The 27-year-old catcher is a bit behind schedule with his throwing program early in camp due to elbow soreness, but the injury won't prevent him from receiving his game reps at the plate. Wong's ability to hit through the injury is encouraging, though he shouldn't be considered fully healthy until cleared to work behind the plate.

Marchan is battling through some lower-back discomfort, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

It looks to be a day-to-day issue. Marchan is third on the Phillies' catching depth chart and has an option year remaining, so he's slated to open the year at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Manager Alex Cora said Friday that Wong will be brought along slowly early in camp due to elbow soreness, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Wong's availability for the start of the regular season isn't likely to be affected by the injury, but he'll be eased into spring training. The 27-year-old had a .673 OPS in 126 contests last season and is expected to open 2024 as Boston's primary backstop.