MLB Player News

The Diamondbacks placed Del Castillo on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a left calf strain.

Del Castillo was unable to make any Cactus League appearances after straining his left calf shortly before the start of camp, but he made enough progress in his recovery for Arizona to clear him to serve as a designated hitter in a minor-league spring training game earlier this week, per MLB.com. Arizona will likely want Del Castillo to be available to play catcher prior to activating him from the IL, and it's unclear how close the 26-year-old might be to taking part in defensive drills.

The Giants released Haase on Wednesday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The 33-year-old was in camp as a non-roster invitee and hit well during spring training with a .911 OPS in 18 games, but the Giants will begin the year with Daniel Susac as the backup catcher to starter Patrick Bailey. Haase spent the past two seasons in Milwaukee and posted a .229/.289/.357 slash line across 77 plate appearances during the regular season last year.

Boston placed Seigler on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to left knee patellar tendinopathy.

Acquired from the Brewers on Feb. 9, Seigler didn't end up making any appearances in spring training while recovering from a knee injury that first surfaced while he played in the Dominican Winter League during the offseason. The Red Sox haven't indicated where Seigler stands in his recovery, so the 26-year-old appears destined to miss more than the minimum 10 days. Seigler has two minor-league options remaining and could be sent out to Triple-A Worcester to play regularly once he's activated from the IL.

The Twins designated Jackson for assignment Wednesday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Jackson was acquired via trade from the Orioles in November and signed to a one-year, $1.35 million contract. However, the Twins later signed Victor Caratini to serve as the backup catcher, making Jackson expendable. If he's not traded, Jackson will likely pass through waivers due to his contract and could accept an assignment to Triple-A St. Paul.

Atlanta placed Murphy (hip) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

Murphy's move to the IL was merely a formality after Mark Bowman of MLB.com reported at the onset of spring training that the veteran backstop would likely be out until sometime in May while completing his recovery from September surgery to address a right hip labral tear. Per MLB.com, Murphy was able to take on-field batting practice March 9, but it's not clear if he's taking part in defensive work or full baserunning yet. Drake Baldwin and Jonah Heim will open the season as Atlanta's two catchers.

Diaz went 1-for-2 with a pair of RBI in Tuesday's exhibition matchup against Triple-A Sugar Land.

Diaz is starting to warm up just in time after struggling for much of spring training -- the 27-year-old backstop finished Grapefruit League play with a .143/.226/.214 slash line, no homers and just two extra-base hits across 11 games. Still, Diaz should offer some upside at the catcher position after batting .256 with 20 homers, 70 RBI and a .701 OPS across 143 regular-season games in 2025.

Del Castillo (calf) is continuing to rehab and has begun running, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Del Castillo will operate as a designated hitter in minor-league games before the organization makes its next move. It's unclear what the Diamondbacks have in mind once Del Castillo is ready to play. He could serve as a third catcher and part-time DH in the majors or head back to the minors where he can continue to develop defensively.

Jeffers went 3-for-3 with two RBI in the Grapefruit League finale win against Boston on Tuesday. He hit .239 (11-for-46) with a home run this spring. He's set to get the bulk of starts behind the plate plus occasional starts at DH, MLB.com reports.

Jeffers split playing time with Christian Vazquez last season as the Twins emphasized keeping their catchers fresh. However, Jeffers is expected to get the majority of starts this season under new manager Derek Shelton with Victor Caratini serving as his backup.

Salazar did not make the Astros' Opening Day roster, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

He's out of minor-league options, so Salazar will have to be exposed to waivers first if the Astros intend to send him to Triple-A Sugar Land. The 30-year-old has seen spot duty with Houston the past three years, slashing .232/.318/.268in 67 plate appearances.

Vazquez has made the Astros' Opening Day roster as a backup catcher, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Vazquez inked a minor-league contract earlier this month and has won the No. 2 job behind starter Yainer Diaz. The 35-year-old slashed only .215/.267/.311 the past three seasons with the Twins and is unlikely to play much in Houston.