MLB Player News

Stubbs is hoping to play outfield and second base during spring training games, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Stubbs made last year's Opening Day roster as a third catcher but made just one start and had 10 plate appearances. With Jason Castro on board to back up Martin Maldonado in 2021, Stubbs faces a similar situation, so he seeks greater versatility to increase playing time.

Perez has not yet arrived at spring training due to a visa issue, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The veteran catcher inked a minor-league deal with the Athletics on Jan. 29 but will apparently have to wait a bit longer before getting a chance to jump into workouts. With fellow backstop Sean Murphy still on the mend from lung surgery and not likely to start baseball activity "for a while" according to manager Bob Melvin, Perez could be in line for a solid allotment of reps alongside Aramis Garcia in early workouts and Cactus League games.

Garver enters spring training fully healthy after he struggled with an intercostal last season that he says limited him more than he thought after video review, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. "It was probably one of the better offseasons I've had just as far as strength, mobility and being healthy coming into camp," he said.

Garver's 2020 season could hardly be more different than his 2019 breakout season. Garver went from hitting 31 home runs with a .630 SLG, to struggling with injuries, being lost at the plate, and slugging just .264. It's a good sign he's back to full strength, but his 2019 season may have been unsustainable anyway due to a 29 percent HR/FB rate. The Twins are likely to limit Garver's playing time to keep him fresh. He'll likley split playing time with Ryan Jeffers, who established himself in Garver's absence, even though both hit right-handed.

Raleigh is expected to debut this season, team president Kevin Mather said in a talk with the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club in early February that was posted to the club's official YouTube channel.

Mather's talk contained some surprisingly direct discussions of the sort of blatant service-time manipulation that teams tend not to admit to, though Raleigh's case may not involve the same sort of foul play. He didn't fully conquer Double-A during his 39 games for Arkansas in 2019, striking out 29.6 percent of the time while posting a 96 wRC+, so he'll need to prove himself in the high minors before pushing for a debut later in the year.

Mejia made it to camp Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mejia was slightly delayed getting back into the United States and then had to go through the intake process. Given that it's still well over a month until Opening Day, he should have plenty of time to get up to full speed by the time the regular season begins.

Murphy (chest) arrived at camp Sunday to go through his physical, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Murphy's start to his spring has been slightly delayed after he went through surgery in the offseason to address a collapsed lung. Assuming he passes his physical without issues, he's expected to be ready for Opening Day, although Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports manager Bob Melvin noted Sunday he doesn't expect Murphy to be ready for baseball activities "for a while."

Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said Rogers' performance behind the plate will determine his playing time more than his bat, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

"I want him to know that he will lose playing time or lose his spot on this roster more because of what he does on defense," Hinch said. "We have to continue to encourage and get the most out of him defensively. That's his No. 1 priority." Rogers struggled to a .125/.222/.259 line during his 35 games in the majors in 2019, but Hinch's comments indicate that he's looking for a strong defensive catcher as a backup to Wilson Ramos and can live with some hiccups at the plate. Rogers and Grayson Greiner figure to battle for that reserve role this spring, with Greiner the presumed early favorite as the more veteran player.

Murphy, who missed all of the 2020 season with a broken bone in his foot, is fully recovered but will have his workload closely monitored, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

The veteran backstop was a pleasant surprise for the Mariners back in 2019, putting up career highs in doubles (12), home runs (18), RBI (40), walks (19) and runs (32) while slashing .273/.324/.535 across 281 plate appearances. There were consequently high hopes for Murphy heading into 2020, but a fracture suffered after fouling a ball off his foot multiple times during summer camp led to the lost season. Luis Torrens (back), acquired from the Padres at last year's trade deadline, impressed over his brief time with the Mariners and is also expected to receive a solid amount of playing time behind the dish in the coming campaign.

Kirk could serve as the Blue Jays' backup catcher this season, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Kirk jumped straight from High-A to the majors last season and hit an impressive .375/.400/.583, though that came in just 25 trips to the plate. There's a case to be made that he's already Toronto's top offensive backstop, but Danny Jansen is a better defender and is expected to open the season as the starter. The question for Toronto is whether or not Kirk should play on a regular basis in the minors to continue his development or appear more infrequently at the big-league level. The Blue Jays want him to be able to handle a starting workload eventually, and he's never played more than 92 games in a season in the minors, but they also appear to be looking to win now, and Kirk would likely help more than Reese McGuire in that regard.

Thaiss will get work at first base, third base and the corner outfield during spring training, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Thaiss played in only eight games for the Angels last season but saw time at four different defensive positions (first base, second base, third base and left field). He doesn't have a clear path to playing time in 2021, so his ability to garner at-bats will likely be tied to his versatility. Thaiss has posted a .202 average and 60 strikeouts in 189 career plate appearances.