MLB Player News

Kirk went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.

The 25-year-old catcher took Brandon Walter deep in the sixth inning for his second homer of the spring in four games. Kirk is coming off a somewhat disappointing 2023 that saw him slash .250/.334/.358 over 422 plate appearances, but the Blue Jays are hoping he can rebound to something closer to his 2022 performance, when he posted a .787 OPS with 14 homers. Kirk should split time behind the plate with Danny Jansen (illness) this season while also mixing in at DH behind Justin Turner.

Jansen had to be scratched from the Blue Jays' Grapefruit League lineup Monday due to a fever, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The Jays sent Jansen home for the day, but they are optimistic he'll be ready to return to action Tuesday. He is slated to again share catching duties with Alejandro Kirk this season.

Langeliers went 1-for-2 with a walk in a Cactus League win over the Rangers on Sunday. He was also caught stealing on his only attempt.

The 26-year-old backstop came into the game with just one single across his first 11 spring plate appearances, so Sunday's showing was actually a step up. Langeliers impressively popped 45 extra-base hits, including 22 home runs, across 135 games in 2023, but he mustered a .205 average and .268 on-base percentage in the process. A 29.2 percent strikeout rate, 48.9 percent flyball rate and .246 BABIP all had a prominent hand in the struggles, but despite the presence of Tyler Soderstrom as a left-handed option behind the dish, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com still projects Langeliers to handle the bulk of the Athletics' catching duties in 2024.

McCann is 2-for-14 over his first five Grapefruit League games.

The Orioles look set to run it back with Adley Rutschman and McCann as their big-league catchers. McCann got into 70 games last season, hitting .222 with six home runs, 26 RBI, 25 runs scored and three stolen bases over 226 plate appearances. Playing behind a young star like Rutschman means McCann is unlikely to see significant work aside from Rutschman's off days behind the dish and McCann's occasional DH duty.

Rutschman has gone 1-for-9 over his first four Grapefruit League games.

On the bright side, that one hit is a home run. Rutschman's spring numbers will ultimately mean very little -- he's the Orioles' No. 1 catcher and will likely focus on getting back in sync with the pitching staff more than his performance at the plate for now. He hit .277 with an .809 OPS and 20 homers over 154 contests in 2023.

Diaz is focused on familiarizing himself with the Astros' pitching staff during spring training, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

He is set to take over as Houston's primary catcher after the offseason departure of Martin Maldonado. Diaz played 42 games behind the dish in 2023, but he never caught Framber Valdez or Justin Verlander (shoulder), so being on the same page with the team's top two starters will be vital come the regular season. Diaz seemingly has fewer questions as a hitter, as he delivered an impressive .282/.308/.538 across 377 plate appearances last season.

Perez went 1-for-12 over his first four Cactus League games.

Perez's slow start in spring is of no concern -- per Anne Rogers of MLB.com, Perez is still the Royals' starting catcher. It's very possible the continued growth of Freddy Fermin could lead to fewer games behind the dish for Perez in 2024. He appeared in a career-high 52 games somewhere other than catcher last season, including 23 contests at first base, though that position belongs to Vinnie Pasquantino. Perez is unlikely to be an everyday player, but it's not unusual to see him get into 140 games when he stays healthy.

Fermin is projected to be the Royals' backup catcher to begin 2024, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The Royals recently signed Austin Nola, but he's viewed as an experienced depth option. Fermin has gone 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout over two Cactus League games. With Salvador Perez in the latter half of his career, it wouldn't be surprising to see Fermin shoulder more of the workload behind the dish, which could see Perez take more games at first base or designated hitter.

The White Sox won't carry three catchers on the Opening Day roster, which could mean Lee begins the season in the minors, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The White Sox added both Max Stassi and Martin Maldonado this offseason, neither of whom have minor-league options. While Lee is a more logical fit for the rebuilding roster, he does have one option remaining. Lee has only six plate appearances to this point in the spring, but he has homered once and collected one other hit.

Dingler (elbow) will come off the bench and work behind the plate in Friday's spring game against the Phillies, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The 25-year-old underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow during the offseason, and he's now game ready after being limited with his throwing at the start of camp. Dingler was added to Detroit's 40-man roster in November in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, and he could make his MLB debut at some point in 2024.