MLB Player News

Stassi believes he found the root cause of his offensive fade over the second half of 2018, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Stassi was a surprise contributor in 2018, when he opened with nine extra-base hits over his first 74 plate appearances on his way to a .787 OPS in the first half. Opposing pitchers adjusted and Stassi faded to a .485 OPS after the All-Star break, forcing the Astros to add Martin Maldonado and move Stassi to third on the depth chart. The problem, according to Stassi, is that he'd "come out" of his legs in his batting stance and, therefore, was unable to cover all parts of the strike zone. The 27-year-old returns in 2019 as the primary backup to Robinson Chirinos and must discover a way to sustain offense for the full season.

Moore signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Thursday which includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of FancredSports.com reports.

Moore spent the majority of last season at Triple-A, hitting just .219/.260/.347 in 58 games with Durham. The veteran backstop owns a career .199/.239/.312 slash line across parts of nine major-league seasons (104 games).

Sanchez (shoulder) will get back to playing in games during the second week of the spring training schedule, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

The backstop underwent shoulder surgery in November, and though he's already through the biggest part of his rehab, the Yankees are still planning to ease him back into game action. It doesn't seem like there's any reason for concern in terms of Sanchez's health. Barring any extraneous circumstances, he expects to be ready by Opening Day with the hope of bouncing back following a disappointing season in which he slashed just .186/.291/.406 with 18 home runs and 53 RBI.

Collins will begin the 2019 season at Triple-A Charlotte, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Collins has followed a traditional path through the organization and will be one step below MLB. The White Sox are still working with him defensively, but as a team in rebuild mode, they can expose him to the majors without much concern. At the plate, Collins bashed 17 home runs each of the last two seasons and has elite on-base skills.

Perez (hamstring) said Friday that he's "completely" ready to go for spring training, Juan C. Toribio of MLB.com reports.

After being acquired from the Diamondbacks on July 31, Perez had a brief, but productive run as the Rays' top catcher before his season came to an end in late August when he strained his left hamstring. He was cleared to return to action for a couple of winter-ball games in Puerto Rico and experienced no setbacks in those contests, giving him full confidence in his health heading into the spring. Perez will likely work as the Rays' No. 2 backstop in 2019 after the team traded for Mike Zunino earlier in the offseason.

Thaiss earned an invitation to the Angels' major-league camp Friday.

Thaiss played 85 games for Triple-A Salt Lake last season, posting a mediocre .277/.328/.457 line in 85 games. That's not great for a first baseman, and he's unlikely to make the big-league roster out of camp, but he'll be just an injury or two away from making his debut once the season gets underway.

Raleigh received an invitation to major-league spring training Thursday, TJ Cotterill of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Raleigh, the 90th overall pick in the 2018 draft, played well in his first taste of professional baseball, compiling a .901 OPS in 166 plate appearances for short-season Everett. He'll now be rewarded with a chance to play in front of the major-league brass, though he'll likely spend much of the season with Low-A West Virginia or High-A Modesto in order to get more seasoning against professional pitching.

Trevino (shoulder) will start spring training "a little behind" other catchers, Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Trevino, who underwent shoulder surgery last July, is expected to need at least another season in the minors. "Ideally, he gets time to develop," said general manager Jon Daniels. That likely means Trevino will open the year at Triple-A Nasvhille of the Pacific Coast League.

The Rangers signed Sanchez to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training, Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Sanchez was acquired by Texas from Cincinnati last season and appeared in 50 games with Triple-A Round Rock. The graduate of Boston College has played 52 career games in the majors and could factor into the Rangers' plans at catcher. Texas will have four catchers with major-league experience entering spring training: Sanchez, Jeff Mathis, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and non-roster addition Jett Bandy.

Sanchez (concussion) agreed to a minor-league contract with Detroit on Monday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Sanchez was let go by the Giants in June of 2018 after his latest concussion, but he'll be brought aboard by the Tigers and has received an invitation to spring training. Grayson Greiner and John Hicks are the favorites to begin the season as the top two catchers on the big-league team, so Sanchez along with Kade Scivivque and Bobby Wilson appear in line to begin the year at Triple-A Toledo as organizational depth. Sanchez last appeared in the majors during the 2017 season with the Padres, posting a .219/.245/.423 slash line with eight homers and 25 RBI through 75 games.