MLB Player News

Vazquez (elbow) made his spring debut Tuesday, catching two innings and grounding out in his only at-bat.

It has been 361 days since Vazquez last participated in a game. That's when he suffered an elbow injury that eventually led to him undergoing Tommy John surgery. The Red Sox are being overly cautious with Vazquez, whose next activity will be catching a bullpen session Wednesday followed by some innings a game Friday. All signs point to him starting the season at Triple-A Pawtucket.

Pentecost (shoulder) threw a ball back to the pitcher Monday and is optimistic about his progress in recovering from shoulder surgery, Gare Joyce of Sportsnet reports.

Pentecost reportedly feels significantly healthier than in the past, and even took part in soft toss Monday. As far as a timetable goes, the catching prospect is still a ways away from getting back to game action, but he personally believes that he'll be able to do more than just therapeutic throwing by the time the minor league season gets into full swing. There has also been some speculation that the 22-year-old could convert to one of the corner infield positions to save his arm a bit and get him more at-bats during the spring, but Pentecost insists that he wants to stay behind the plate in the long run. Regardless, it's good to hear that he's finally feeling significantly better, although it'll still be a waiting game to see when he'll return to game action.

Vazquez (elbow) will make his spring training debut in a game Tuesday, the Providence Journal reports.

Vazquez cleared a hurdle Saturday throwing with 100 percent intensity while catching David Price in a simulated game. The young catcher had been held back last week after he experienced some soreness in his surgically repaired right elbow, but he said he felt fine Sunday after Saturday's activity. The Red Sox are non-committal when talking about Vazquez's chances of heading north with Boston, but it looks like the organization is in favor of having him begin the season in Triple-A.

Vazquez (elbow) threw at 100 percent intensity during a simulated game Saturday, Sean McAdam of CSNNE reports. "I feel great, no pain, no nothing. I let it go today 100 percent. I feel like I'm ready to play in games," said Vazquez afterwards.

Saturday marked another step forward in Vazquez's recovery from Tommy John surgery as he made it through the simulated game with no pain in his surgically repaired elbow. He even made two strong throws down to second base to catch baserunners. According to McAdam, the Red Sox will likely decide Sunday when Vazquez will be cleared for game action.

Perez agreed to a five-year, $52.5 million contract extension with the Royals on Tuesday, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.

The new contract overrides the previous deal Perez signed with the Royals in 2012 -- a very team-friendly pact -- and locks him up through 2021. His offensive performance slipped the last couple seasons, but he played in an average of 143 games over the last three years and figures to remain a workhorse behind the plate in 2016.

Vazquez (elbow) threw to bases at about 90 percent intensity Monday, CSN New England reports. He'll throw to bases again on Wednesday, then catch David Price in a simulated game Saturday.

The Red Sox have been extremely careful with Vazquez this spring, holding him back from going all out, but if all goes well Saturday, Vazquez could see his first spring-training game early next week. It's plausible he could be ready to roll Opening Day, but it's more likely he starts the year at Triple-A Pawtucket.

Vazquez (elbow) is likely to miss at least the first week of exhibition games, the Boston Herald reports.

Red Sox manager John Farrell has been holding back Vazquez early in camp. He's kept the young catcher, who's coming back from Tommy John surgery last spring, from going maximum effort while throwing, and will have him participate in a controlled program throwing to bases Friday. Farrell said he wants to see Vazquez perform in simulated games before they get him into a live game. With Blake Swihart getting sizable head start in training camp, it's looking like Vazquez will open the season at Triple-A Pawtucket.

Perez is part of an open competition for the Angels' starting catcher job this spring, the Orange County Register reports.

Following the trade of Chris Iannetta to Seattle during the offseason, the path was cleared for Perez to emerge as a regular behind the plate for the Angels. Geovany Soto is in the mix to push him for the job, but it's likely that the Angels will use Perez for at least 100 starts behind the plate (health permitting), as Soto is unlikely to catch more than 50-60 games at this stage of his career.

Sanchez signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays on Friday, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Sanchez was released by the Pirates last month but will have a chance to catch on with the Blue Jays, as the deal includes an invite to spring training. The 27-year-old, a former first-round pick, appeared in only three major league games last season, spending the bulk of the year at Triple-A Indianapolis. It seems likely that he'll wind up with the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate (Buffalo) to begin the year, though Toronto is relatively thin at catcher so he could be summoned should there be an injury to Russell Martin, Josh Thole, or A.J. Jiminez.

Acosta signed a minor league contract with the Rays on Thursday and will be invited to major league camp, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Acosta was with the Rays organization last season, but played sparingly and elected to be a free agent after the conclusion of the season. He'll return to the team and act as no more than a third-string catcher while Justin O'Conner is sidelined with a back injury.