MLB Player News

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said Tuesday that Perez will be included on the team's Opening Day roster, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Though Perez has been with the organization for less than two weeks after signing a minor-league contract March 19, he'll end up breaking camp with the big club as the No. 2 catcher behind Shea Langeliers while Manny Pina (wrist) opens the season on the injured list. While Langeliers is expected to see the overwhelming share of playing time behind the dish, Perez may bring more fantasy upside to the table than the typical backup catcher. The 32-year-old is coming off back-to-back 31-home run campaigns with the Athletics' Triple-A affiliate in 2021 and the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate in 2022. Expect Oakland to formally add Perez to the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster shortly before Thursday's game against the Angels.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday that Diaz has won a spot on the Opening Day roster, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Diaz excelled in the upper minors last season, slashing .306/.356/.542 with 25 home runs and 96 RBI in 105 games between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land. His primary position is catcher, but the 24-year-old has played some corner outfield and first base, and he might also be an option at DH for the reigning World Series champions.

Salazar will be included on the Astros' Opening Day roster, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

With Houston optioning Korey Lee to Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Yainer Diaz and Salazar will share backup duties behind starting catcher Martin Maldonado. Salazar has flashed decent power in recent minor-league seasons and produced a sparkling .979 OPS over 27 plate appearances this spring in the Grapefruit League.

Thaiss will make the Angels' Opening Day roster, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Thaiss has been competing for a spot on the 26-man roster throughout the spring, and his most impressive stat has been his 10:7 BB:K. He's slashed just .200/.378/.257 with no homers or RBI over 45 plate appearances, but the decision to carry him on the Opening Day roster was made easy when Max Stassi (hip) was moved to the 10-day IL. Thaiss will begin the campaign as the backup to Logan O'Hoppe behind the plate.

The Astros optioned Lee to Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Yainer Diaz appears to have earned the second catching spot over Lee, who tallied four hits and four RBI in his 12-game MLB debut last season. The 2019 first-round pick will presumably see big-league action at some point this season, whether due to an Astros injury or Diaz's performance.

Leon re-signed with the Rangers on a minor-league contract Tuesday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Leon requested and was given his release Monday but is quickly back in the organization on a re-worked deal. The veteran catcher will give the club some quality depth at Triple-A Round Rock.

McCann (oblique) is "likely" to need a stint on the injured list, Orioles general manager Mike Elias told MLB.com on Monday.

McCann tweaked his left oblique back on March 20 and hasn't played since. While the catcher considered it to be a "minor" strain, it doesn't look like he'll be well enough to avoid a trip to the IL. Anthony Bemboom looms as the likely roster replacement.

O'Hoppe has been informed he's made the Opening Day roster, Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times reports.

O'Hoppe was a strong candidate regardless, but he is at least in part going to make the Angels out of spring training because Max Stassi (hip) will open the year on the injured list. The backstop has been solid in spring play with a .799 OPS over 36 plate appearances, and he likely will see the majority of the reps behind the plate while Stassi is on the shelf.

Stassi was placed on the 10-day injured list with a hip injury by the Angels on Monday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Stassi hurt his hip during an appearance in a minor-league game Sunday. It's not clear at this point how much time he might miss. With Stassi on the shelf, Logan O'Hoppe now rejoins the big club to share time at catcher with Matt Thaiss.

O'Hoppe now appears to be on track to open the season as a member of the Angels' 26-man active roster after manager Phil Nevin acknowledged Sunday that Max Stassi (hip) will likely begin the campaign on the injured list, FieldLevelMedia.com reports.

Given that the Angels want the 23-year-old to play regularly along with the fact that his primary competition for the No. 2 catcher role, Matt Thaiss, was out of minor-league options, O'Hoppe looked in line to open the season at Triple-A Salt Lake as recently as two weeks ago. However, with Stassi recently missing time in camp due to a personal matter before hurting his hip in a minor-league game Sunday, O'Hoppe looks like he could get the chance to see regular reps with the big club. O'Hoppe demonstrated impressive power-hitting and on-base skills at the Double-A level and in his brief taste of the majors in 2022, so he may be worth rostering in two-catcher leagues while he has a fairly clear path to playing time in the big leagues. Stassi took a big step back offensively in 2022 and likely didn't enter the season with much job security, so O'Hoppe could get the chance to stake a permanent claim to the No. 1 catching gig if he thrives early on in the campaign.