MLB Player News

Vazquez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's spring training game against Atlanta.

Vazquez has had a quiet spring, going 3-for-15 through six Grapefruit League games. It's not going to impact his role as Boston's primary catcher, but the spring results are continuation of down season in 2021. He strung together a couple of good seasons in 2019 and 2020, when his bat was good enough to slot in at designated hitter at times, but his ISO fell to .094 last year.

The Angels reassigned Wallach to minor-league camp Wednesday.

The 30-year-old didn't have much hope of making the Angels' Opening Day roster as a backup catchers, as the Angels are expected to move forward with Max Stassi and Kurt Suzuki as their two backstops, while fellow non-roster invitee Austin Romine also probably ranks ahead of Wallach in the organizational pecking order at the position. Wallach, who saw action in 23 games at the big-league level with Miami in 2021, is expected to open the upcoming season at Triple-A Salt Lake.

Thaiss was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.

Thaiss appeared in five Cactus League games this spring and went 2-for-10 with a home run, three RBI, two runs and two strikeouts. However, he'll likely spend most of the season in Salt Lake.

Haase has changed his offseason workout routine to try to be more "explosive" when he plays in the outfield, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Detroit manager A.J. Hinch previously said Haase is a "catcher first," though it seems clear from his offseason focus on speed and quickness that he will appear at multiple positions this season. That should help the 29-year-old play more frequently and potentially pick up eligibility at a few different spots. Haase is coming off a career year in which he blasted 22 home runs across 98 games.

Rortvedt (oblique) was cleared to resume hitting off a tee Monday, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

Rortvedt has taken another step forward in his recovery from an oblique strain, but he'll likely need to graduate to hitting soft-toss pitching and then live batting practice before being deemed ready for Opening Day. The young catcher doesn't look like he'll have enough time to gain clearance for the April 7 season opener versus Boston, but he shouldn't be in store for a lengthy stay on the injured list to begin the campaign. In the meantime, Kyle Higashioka is expected to serve as the Yankees' top backstop while Rortvedt is idle.

Higashioka is slashing .500/.538/1.250 with three home runs, four RBI and four runs scored over 13 Grapefruit League plate appearances.

Higashioka entered camp expecting to work in a platoon with Ben Rortvedt behind the plate, but Rortvedt has yet to get into a contest due to an oblique injury. Higashioka has seized upon the opportunity with a power-packed spring performance that includes a team-best three homers. If Rortvedt is unable to get ramped up in time for Opening Day, Higashioka would likely open the campaign as the team's everyday catcher. However, a platoon remains the most likely scenario for the bulk of the season, especially considering Higashioka's tepid .181/.246/.389 slash line over 67 games for the Yankees last season.

Moreno was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Monday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The catcher is ranked as the Blue Jays' top prospect but the team will opt to go with Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk as the primary options behind the plate to open the season. Moreno failed to play in any of the team's spring outings before being sent down Monday, but he hit .356 last year in 35 games between Double-A and Triple-A while adding eight long balls and 46 RBI.

Murphy, who went 1-for-2 with a double in a Cactus League loss to the Mariners on Sunday, is hitting .545 (6-for-11) with four doubles, a home run, four RBI, a walk and two runs in his first five exhibition appearances.

The 27-year-old backstop's numbers underscore how blistering hot he's been to start spring, certainly an encouraging sign after Murphy's lackluster .216/.306/.405 slash line in 2021. While he did record a career-high 17 home runs and 59 RBI last season, Murphy's early showing this spring offers some hope he'll be able to get on base more consistently in 2022 while hopefully ceding only occasional playing time to the returning Stephen Vogt.

Wong was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Sunday, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Wong made six big-league appearances last season and was on the roster for the wild-card game, but he won't be with the team for Opening Day. He appeared in 50 games for Worcester last year and had a .730 OPS with eight home runs, 26 RBI and seven stolen bases.

Pinto was optioned to minor-league camp Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Pinto was in big-league camp after being added to the 40-man roster in November but never had much of a chance at making the Opening Day squad with Mike Zunino and Francisco Mejia healthy. He'll open the season at Triple-A Durham, where he hit .299/.327/.532 with 12 homers and 35 RBI in 52 games last season.