MLB Player News

Murphy was scratched from Friday's lineup against the Astros with a right wrist contusion.

He was hit on the wrist by a pitch in Thursday's game. Aramis Garcia will enter the lineup at catcher and will bat ninth.

Murphy is not in the lineup Friday against the Giants.

Murphy started Thursday's season opener but will cede the catcher spot to Luis Torrens in the second game of the season. It may take some time to determine the exact playing-time breakdown between those two, though the fact that Murphy is already sitting may indicate a fairly even split.

Collins started at designated hitter and went 0-for-4 in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Angels.

Collins got the Opening Day call at DH, a spot that looked like it belonged to Andrew Vaughn all spring. It's unclear if manager Tony La Russa was simply rewarding Collins for a strong spring, or if the manager plans to use the left-handed Collins at DH against right-handers while Vaughn slots in against lefties. Vaughn will make his season debut Friday against lefty Andrew Heaney, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Collins, meanwhile, will catch Lance Lynn on Saturday. That Collins beat out Jonathan Lucroy to be the top backup catcher is a sign the team is pleased with the defensive advancements he's made this spring.

Mejia won an Opening Day roster spot as the primary backup to Mike Zunino at catcher, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Mejia was steady at the plate during spring training, finishing with a .267 average across 32 plate appearances. The 25-year-old once was held in high regard in the Padres organization, and although the franchise decided he was expendable in the Blake Snell trade this past offseason, it appears he'll have a chance at a reset with Tampa Bay.

Stassi went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's win over the White Sox.

Stassi crushed his homer off Lucas Giolito in the fifth inning. His other hit was a single to left field off Codi Heuer. The 30-year-old veteran had a career year in 2020, slashing .278/.352/.533, and he'll have every opportunity to build on that as the clear No. 1 catcher in Anaheim.

Perez went 1-for-2 with a two-run homer and a pair of walks in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Tigers.

Perez's ninth-inning blast made things interesting for Tigers closer Gregory Soto, but Cleveland wasn't able to tie the game. The 32-year-old Perez struggled in 2020 with a .165/.264/.216 slash line and just one homer in 32 games. He's set to see the bulk of the time behind the dish for Cleveland, mostly due to his strong defense. Austin Hedges is Cleveland's other option at catcher, but neither he nor Perez should be expected to put up big offensive numbers.

Sanchez went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk in Thursday's loss to the Blue Jays.

Sanchez had a disappointing season at the plate last year, slashing .147/.253/.365, but he began the 2021 campaign on a high note with a two-run blast in his first at-bat of the season. Kyle Higashioka should see his fair share of playing time behind the dish in 2021, but Sanchez impressed while catching Gerrit Cole on Opening Day.

Huff (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Huff always would have been an undergo to break camp in the big leagues, as he skipped the two highest levels of the minors to make his 10-game debut last season. A hamstring strain suffered early in camp seemingly took him out of the mix entirely. He's entering the home stretch of his recovery, but he'll likely head to the minor leagues once healthy.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed that Vazquez (eye) will be available for Friday's season opener against the Orioles, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez probably would have been ready to play Thursday had the Opening Day game not been postponed due to inclement weather, but the extra day off should only help the backstop, who had been recovering from a laceration to his left eye. According to Bill Koch of The Providence Journal, Vazquez will bat eighth against Orioles lefty John Means while serving as the battery mate for Boston starter Nathan Eovaldi.

Rutschman isn't expected to make his major-league debut until late in 2021, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Rutschman was assigned to Double-A, which indicates that he's likely a few months away from making his major-league debut. A top catching prospect, Rutschman is a name for fantasy managers to keep an eye on. The 23-year-old spent all of 2020 at the alternate training site. For now, Chance Sisco and Pedro Severino will handle the Orioles' catching duties.