MLB Player News

Godoy was designated for assignment by the Twins on Monday, Dustin Morse of the Twins Communications reports.

After being claimed off waivers by the Twins March 17, the catcher played in seven games this spring, producing two hits and three RBI over eight at-bats. Godoy will now do one of three things, get claimed by another team, report to Triple-A St. Paul or he'll be released outright. In 16 games with the Mariners in 2021, the 27-year-old struggled to a .162 average while striking out 14 times in 37 at-bats.

Heim went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's spring training game against the Brewers.

Heim had multiple hits for a third straight Cactus League game Sunday and is batting .368 (7-for-19) with one home run, two RBI and four runs scored. The bat potential is what separated him from Jose Trevino, who the Rangers traded to the Yankees on Saturday and then announced Heim would be the backup to starting catcher Mitch Garver. There's potential for Heim to get into a lot of games. The 31-year-old Garver hasn't played more than 103 games in a season (2018), and manager Chris Woodward has already indicated he'll limit him to 90-100 games behind the dish. In an effort to preserve Garver for the long haul, the manager will also use him at first base and designated hitter.

Collins was traded from the White Sox to the Blue Jays in exchange for Reese McGuire on Sunday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Collins was informed by the White Sox on Friday that he wouldn't break camp with the club, and he'll now attempt to carve out a role in the Blue Jays organization. Collins appeared in 78 games for the White Sox last year and hit .210 with four home runs, 26 RBI and 25 runs. He still has one option remaining, so it seems likely that he'll begin the year at Triple-A Buffalo. However, he'll be available to provide depth behind the dish if Danny Jansen or Alejandro Kirk deal with injuries.

The White Sox acquired McGuire from the Blue Jays on Sunday in exchange for catcher Zack Collins, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

McGuire was expected to begin the season as Toronto's No. 3 catcher behind Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk, but he should have a better chance at moving up a spot on the depth chart as he heads to Chicago. Yasmani Grandal will operate as the clear No. 1 backstop for Chicago, but McGuire could pick up at least a start or two per week when Grandal is resting or serving as a designated hitter or first baseman. McGuire owns an unremarkable .687 OPS over 400 career MLB plate appearances and likely wouldn't have much fantasy appeal outside of leagues that start two catchers if Grandal were to miss extended time for some reason in 2022.

Higashioka went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs and three RBI in a Grapefruit League win over Atlanta on Saturday.

The backstop slugged a two-run homer in the third inning and followed with a solo shot in the fifth. With seven long balls in just nine games, Higashioka has gone deep more than any other player this spring. He's also slashing .478/.500/1.391 and has knocked in 11 runs. Higashioka was initially expected to split time behind the plate with Ben Rortvedt (oblique), but with the latter expected to begin the campaign on the injured list and Higashioka swinging the bat so well, he could get an opportunity to lock down a larger share of playing time if he's able to extend the hot hitting into the regular season.

Rutschman (triceps) has progressed to hitting off a tee from both sides of the plate in addition to doing some light throwing and increasing his receiving drills at catcher, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports. "Doing extremely well," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Sunday, when asked for an update on Rutschman's status. "He's right on track for where we want him to be right now, and now it's just about building [reps] and recovering."

Though Rutschman isn't quite fully involved in team workouts and looks on track to miss the start of the regular season due to a right triceps strain, the 24-year-old at least appears to be trending toward an abbreviated absence. Because he's not already on the 40-man roster, the Orioles won't have to place Rutschman on the injured list, so he'll presumably be reassigned to Triple-A Norfolk once he's deemed ready from game action. If Rutschman quickly returns to top form at the plate and behind the dish, an early season call-up to the big leagues could still be in the forecast.

Rortvedt (oblique) is expected to begin the season on the injured list, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

The catcher was acquired by the Yankees on March 13 in a trade that included Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Josh Donaldson and sent away Gary Sanchez. Once healthy, Rortvedt is expected to compete with Kyle Higashioka for the starting job behind the plate this season. In 39 games with the Twins last season, the 24-year-old Rortvedt slashed .169/.229/.281 with three homers and seven RBI.

Heim will open the year as the Rangers' backup catcher after the team traded Jose Trevino to the Yankees on Saturday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Heim didn't do much at the plate in 82 games last season, hitting just .196/.239/.358, but a .210 BABIP suggests he deserved at least a bit better. With above-average defense behind the plate, his bat only needs to improve by a modest amount for him to look like a perfectly serviceable backup, though he's unlikely to move ahead of Mitch Garver on the depth chart.

Trevino was sent from the Rangers to the Yankees on Saturday in exchange for Albert Abreu and Robert Ahlstrom.

Trevino started 81 games behind the plate for the Rangers last season but would have found it tough to repeat that number this season after the team acquired Mitch Garver from the Rangers. His expected playing-time split with new teammate Kyle Higashioka is not yet clear. Both backstops have good gloves but don't do much at the plate. Trevino owns a .634 career OPS in 156 major-league games, while Higashioka owns a similar .619 OPS in 139 MLB contests. Ben Rortvedt could also factor into the picture, but he's currently out with an oblique injury.

Maile (hamstring) will open the season on the injured list, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Maile was in camp on a minor-league deal and seemed to have a shot at the backup catcher job, but the hamstring injury he suffered while running the bases in late March put those plans on hold for now. Sandy Leon has also failed to make the team, leaving rookie Bryan Lavastida as the backup behind Austin Hedges.