MLB Player News

Kirk (illness) went through a full workout Monday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Kirk had to be scratched from Sunday's lineup with a non-COVID-related illness but was feeling better a day later. The Blue Jays are off Tuesday, setting Kirk up for a possible return to game action Wednesday.

Rogers (elbow) will start at catcher and bat ninth in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

Rogers exited Friday's game against the Blue Jays after being hit by a pitch in the left elbow, but he avoided any structural damage and was merely nursing some bruising and soreness over the past couple days. With Rogers drawing back into the lineup after resting through the weekend, he'll be in strong position to break camp with the Tigers as the No. 2 catcher behind Eric Haase.

Garver started at catcher and went 0-for-4 in Sunday's spring game against Seattle.

Garver, who missed half the 2022 season due to a forearm injury, caught all nine innings for the first time this spring. For those into reading signs, that Garver was behind the plate for Jacob deGrom's Cactus League debut indicates he will resume playing catcher for Texas after last season's injury limited him to DH duties.

McGuire went 0-for-3 in Saturday's spring game against the Orioles.

With Connor Wong (hamstring) unlikely to be ready by Opening Day, McGuire and Jorge Alfaro are expected to open the regular season as Boston's catchers. McGuire, who is 6-for-26 (.231) over 11 Grapefruit League games, should be the primary backstop.

Huff was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock by the Rangers on Sunday.

Huff comes up short in his bid to be a bench option for the Rangers to open the season. The 24-year-old isn't long removed from being considered one of the better catching prospects in baseball, and he should get regular at-bats with Round Rock with a chance to help Texas before the end of 2023.

Kirk was scratched from Sunday's Grapefruit League lineup against the Rays due to a non-COVID-19 illness.

Kirk was penciled in to start behind the plate and bat cleanup, but an ailment will prevent him from taking the field. The 24-year-old's status for Opening Day shouldn't be affected by the illness, and he'll likely return to the lineup within the next few days.

Grandal has a .902 OPS across 30 plate appearances during Cactus League action.

Grandal is coming off a disastrous 2022 season, during which he slashed just .202/.301/.269 across 376 plate appearances. While it's difficult to make the case for a 34-year-old catcher to bounce back, Grandal has had a promising spring performance that is highlighted by three doubles and a home run. He should head into the season as Chicago's starting backstop.

Rortvedt (shoulder) began running last week, but he's not close to being able to swing a bat, Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media reports.

Rortvedt underwent surgery on his left shoulder in late February. He was expected to be held out of baseball activities for at least a month, and he'll presumably need considerable time to ramp up once he's able to start swinging again. Rortvedt isn't expected to return to game action until at least May.

Stassi appears set to win the starting catcher job for the Angels despite hitting just .231 with a .615 OPS in 13 at-bats this spring, MLB.com reports.

Stassi looks set to begin the season as the starter with Matt Thaiss and Logan O'Hoppe battling for the backup role, though Stassi could split time or platoon with Thaiss. While Stassi may begin the season as the starter, it seems just a matter of time before O'Hoppe takes over as the starter. O'Hoppe had a breakout season last year by hitting .283 with 26 home runs and a .961 OPS at Double-A which earned him a 14-game late-season call-up with the Angels.

Thaiss appears as a slight favorite to begin the season in the majors over Logan O'Hoppe, MLB.com reports.

Thaiss is hitting .389 with a 1.060 OPS in 18 at-bats this spring. He's competing with Logan O'Hoppe for the backup role to Max Stassi. O'Hoppe is a top prospect and the Angels may want him to play every day in the minors initially. Still, this job battle may come down to the final days of spring training.