MLB Player News

Heim has secured a spot on Atlanta's Opening Day roster, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

It will likely be a temporary assignment while Sean Murphy (hip) is on the IL, but Heim will back up Drake Baldwin to begin the season. Heim hasn't been able to match his career-best 2023 campaign with the Rangers, and over the last two seasons the 30-year-old switch hitter managed just a .217/.269/.334 slash line.

The Orioles reassigned Huff to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Huff will head to the minors to begin the season after the Orioles weren't compelled to carry him on the Opening Day roster as a third catcher behind Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo. As a member of the Giants organization last season, Huff saw action in 20 games at the big-league level and slashed .208/.259/.340 with two home runs and four RBI over 58 plate appearances.

The Giants named Susac to their Opening Day roster Wednesday.

A Rule 5 Draft selection over the winter, Susac was able to beat out Jesus Rodriguez and non-roster invitee Eric Haase for the No. 2 catcher job during spring training. So long as top backstop Patrick Bailey is healthy, Susac will likely play sparingly, and the Giants will need to stash him on the major-league roster throughout the season, or else he'll have to be offered back to the Athletics. The 24-year-old showed some potential with the bat in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League last season with a .275/.350/.486 slash line to go with 18 home runs and seven stolen bases across 403 plate appearances, though he struck out at a 26.8 percent clip.

Jackson will remain with the Twins organization after accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A St. Paul, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

With the Twins electing to carry two catchers (Ryan Jeffers and Victor Caratini) on their Opening Day squad, Jackson was designated for assignment during the final roster cutdown of the spring. After none of the other 29 teams were willing to take on Jackson and his $1.35 million contract for 2026, he'll end up sticking around in the organization as catching depth. Jackson should be the top candidate for a promotion if Jeffers or Caratini misses time at any point this year.

The Mets designated Rortvedt for assignment Wednesday.

Rortvedt was never going to make the Mets' roster as long as Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens were healthy, and the team's top two catchers are ready to go for Thursday's opener. The 28-year-old Rortvedt has been claimed off waivers three times already this offseason and could make it four.

The Phillies designated Stubbs for assignment Wednesday.

Stubbs lost out to Rafael Marchan for the Phillies' backup catcher job and is now without a spot on the 40-man roster. The 32-year-old has slashed only .215/.293/.310 in parts of seven big-league seasons, but catching depth is always a commodity so he could be scooped up on waivers.

The Astros selected Vazquez's contract from Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday.

Vazquez will open the season as the Astros' backup catcher behind starter Yainer Diaz. He's hit only .215/.267/.311 the past three seasons in the majors but remains a capable defensive backstop.

The Rockies selected Sullivan's contract from Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday.

Sullivan won the backup catcher job behind starter Hunter Goodman. He will get some starts on days Goodman serves as a designated hitter, but Sullivan will mostly operate as a reserve.

The White Sox placed Teel (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

Teel went down with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain in mid-March while playing for Team Italy during the World Baseball Classic. The young catcher was given a 4-to-6 week timeline for recovery, and his progress so far suggests he has a chance to return closer to the front end of that timetable. While Teel is shelved, Edgar Quero and Reese McGuire will form Chicago's catching tandem.

The White Sox designated Lee for assignment Wednesday.

The White Sox elected to sign Reese McGuire this past weekend, which has pushed Lee off the roster. He's just a .193/.234/.321 hitter over parts of four big-league seasons, but there's a good chance Lee will find work soon from a club seeking catching depth.