MLB Player News

Heim will make the Rangers' Opening Day roster, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Heim, who was acquired during the offseason from Oakland in the Elvis Andrus deal, will thus be the backup catcher behind Jose Trevino. There isn't much fantasy appeal here, as Heim is batting .105 (2-for-19) with two RBI this spring, though he did manage to hit .310/.385/.477 across two minor-league stops in 2019.

Bemboom was optioned by the Angels on Wednesday.

Bemboom was not expected to break camp with the club and struggled at the plate this spring, slashing .150/.190/.150. He'll open the campaign in the minors with Max Stassi and Kurt Suzuki locked into the top two spots on the team's catching depth chart.

Sanchez will be behind the plate to catch Gerrit Cole on Opening Day, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Cole was exclusively paired with backup catcher Kyle Higashioka during the latter part of the 2020 season, but the Yankees will give Sanchez another chance to receive for the team's ace April 1. The decision to sit the slugger during Cole's pitching days last season wasn't entirely for defensive reasons -- Sanchez struggled so much offensively that the team shied away from him in the playoffs as well. Sanchez is faring somewhat better at the plate this spring, slashing .194/.265/.484 in comparison to last season's .147/.253/.365 line.

Stubbs left Monday's game against the Mets after a pitch hit his head, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Stubbs was thankfully able to walk to the dugout under his own power. The severity of his injury is not yet clear.

Bemboom is slashing .111/.158/.111 across nine Cactus League games.

The backstop has struck out only twice in 18 at-bats, but that's about the only positive that can be made of his stat line. Bemboom is third on the Angels' catching depth chart and is likely to open the season in the minors.

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

Thaiss got work at several defensive positions this spring but was unable to secure a spot on the Opening Day roster. The 25-year-old appeared in 11 Cactus League games and went 2-for-17 with a double, one run, one walk and eight strikeouts.

Murphy went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a Cactus League win over the Angels on Saturday.

The sixth-inning round tripper is Murphy's only hit through his first nine spring plate appearances after making his debut Thursday following his recovery from surgery to address a collapsed lung. Murphy should continue to see plenty of action over the balance of the Cactus League schedule in an attempt to get him up to speed ahead of the regular season.

Perez agreed to a four-year, $82 million extension with the Royals on Sunday, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

The extension begins in 2022 and includes a $13.5 million club option or $2 million buyout for 2026. The veteran backstop will turn 31 years old in May and posted a career-best .986 OPS in 156 plate appearances last season. Perez appeared in at least 129 games in each of the previous six seasons before the shortened 2020 campaign.

Higashioka (side) will bat seventh and start behind the plate Sunday against the Blue Jays.

Higashioka had been out for most of the week due to side soreness. He was originally expected back Saturday, though the one-day delay shouldn't significantly impact his readiness for the upcoming season.

Heim is projected as the backup catcher on the Opening Day roster by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

Heim hasn't done much at the plate this spring, going 1-for-15 over seven Cactus League games, but the Rangers are impressed with his defensive skills. That he's already on the 40-man roster works to his advantage over Drew Butera, who is not on the 40-man. A rebuilding team doesn't need to create room for a 36-year-old veteran. The 25-year-old Heim made his MLB debut in 2020 while with Oakland and slashed .211/.268/.211 over 13 games.