MLB Player News

Stassi will sit Friday against the Astros, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Stassi started behind the plate Opening Day but will hit the bench for the second game of the season. That could signal that Stassi will be used less frequently than other starting catchers this year, or it could simply be a way to ease him into a heavier regular-season workload. Kurt Suzuki will catch Reid Detmers in his absence.

Raleigh will catch and bat ninth in Friday's game against the Twins.

The Mariners will carry three catchers to start the year, but it's Raleigh who will get the nod in Seattle's first game over Tom Murphy and Luis Torrens. Raleigh is a fairly interesting prospect but struggled to a .180/.223/.309 line in his 47-game MLB debut last year after posting a far superior .324/.377/.608 line in 44 games for Triple-A Tacoma. His underlying numbers in the majors suggest he deserved that poor performance, as he combined a 35.1 percent strikeout rate with a 4.7 percent walk rate, but the Mariners clearly believe he'll do better going forward.

Collins was recalled by the Blue Jays on Thursday.

Collins was optioned by the White Sox prior to being traded to Toronto on Sunday, but he'll win a roster spot with his new team. His presence will allow Alejandro Kirk to serve as the designated hitter while still giving the Blue Jays a backup catcher behind Danny Jansen.

Zavala was outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday.

The White Sox acquired Reese McGuire from the Blue Jays on Sunday, and Zavala was unable to secure an Opening Day roster spot as a reserve catcher. The 28-year-old made 37 appearances in the majors last year and hit .183 with five homers, 15 runs and 15 RBI.

The Yankees placed Rortvedt (oblique) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

The move can be backdated three days, making Rortvedt eligible to return April 14. It's unclear if he'll be ready at that point, however, as his strained right oblique kept him from playing in any Grapefruit League games. Kyle Higashioka and Jose Trevino will open the season as the Yankees' catchers.

Rogers (forearm) was placed on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Wednesday's move is simply procedural since the catcher is expected to miss most or all of the 2022 campaign after he underwent Tommy John surgery last September. He began a throwing program in early March, but it's not yet clear when he'll be able to return to game action. Tucker Barnhart and Eric Haase are slated to begin the year as Detroit's top two catchers.

Bemboom has made the Orioles' Opening Day roster, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Manager Brandon Hyde has selected Bemboom to be the primary backup at catcher behind Robinson Chirinos to open the season. This marks the first time that the 32-year-old has made an Opening Day roster, largely earning it by posting a .308 average this spring in 13 at-bats. With star prospect Adley Rutschman (triceps) currently unavailable, Bemboom should receive his fair-share of reps early in 2022.

Haase may work on the short side of a platoon with Akil Baddoo to begin the season, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The Tigers traded for Austin Meadows on Monday, which adds some new wrinkles to the outfield. Both Meadows and Baddoo are left-handed bats, and one or both may sit out against southpaws. In such a scenario, Haase along with Victor Reyes are options for more at-bats. Even with the addition of Meadows, Haase should see plenty of playing time, as he's versatile enough to play in the outfield, at first base and behind the plate.

The Blue Jays reassigned Heineman to minor-league camp Tuesday, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

Heineman was attending camp as a non-roster invitee and was behind at least Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk, Zack Collins and Gabriel Moreno on the organizational depth chart at catcher, so he never had much hope of earning a spot on the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster. The 30-year-old backstop is expected to report to Triple-A Buffalo, where he'll likely serve as Moreno's primary understudy.

Orioles general manager Mike Elias confirmed Monday that Rutschman (triceps) won't be ready for Opening Day or the start of the minor-league season, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

That being said, Rutschman is said to be making good progress in his recovery from a right triceps strain, an injury that resulted in him being shut down March 16 for an estimated 2-to-3 weeks. He's already resumed baseball activities, with Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com relaying that Rutschman has been hitting off a tee and doing some light throwing. Elias said that he expects the 24-year-old to resume participating in games in a matter of weeks, though the GM isn't certain if Rutschman will immediately report to Triple-A Norfolk or begin playing at a lower-level affiliate. Rutschman is still expected to make his MLB debut at some point in 2022, though it doesn't appear likely to happen until at least May.