MLB Player News

Manager Bob Melvin expects Murphy (lung) to play in a spring training game sometime this week, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old has yet to make his spring debut after undergoing offseason surgery to address a collapsed lung, but he's been taking part in baseball activities for the past couple weeks. Murphy should have enough time to ramp up for Opening Day if he's able to see game action this week as expected.

Soderstrom is 2-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI over his first six Cactus League games.

The 26th overall pick of the 2020 first-year player draft, Soderstrom lost out on his first opportunity for extended professional development with the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league season. The 19-year-old is gaining from the experience of being around the big-league club this spring, however, and he hasn't looked out of place over the small sample of at-bats thus far. Soderstrom is thought to have a bright future at catcher and will likely start the 2021 season at either the rookie or Low-A level.

Stassi started at catcher in Friday's Cactus League game versus Arizona, playing four innings and drawing a walk in his only plate appearance.

Stassi has been working his way back from the hip surgery he underwent last October, and he was consequently limited to DH duty prior to Friday. Now that he has returned to the field, Stassi should have adequate time to prepare for his role as the Angels' primary catcher this season.

Grandal (knee) will make his Cactus League debut Saturday against the Angels, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

It was originally announced that Grandal would appear in "B" games Friday and Saturday, but the White Sox changed course and will have the injured catcher appear in Saturday's main game. He served as the designated hitter Friday and went 1-for-4 and will follow up as the DH on Saturday against Los Angeles' Shohei Otani. There have been no announced plans for when Grandal will start behind the plate, although manager Tony La Russa said Grandal has been participating in catching drills and is "on time" in terms of his rehab.

Grandal (knee) will serve as the designated hitter in a pair of B games Friday and Saturday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Grandal has been dealing with knee inflammation since late February. The White Sox have been cautious with him, and it's still not clear exactly when he'll get back behind the plate. He should still have time to get up to game speed by Opening Day as long as he begins getting defensive reps soon, however.

Perez has focused on being more patient at the plate and taking more pitches this spring, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Perez has a career 3.4 percent walk rate and walked only 1.9 percent of the time across 156 plate appearances in 2020. His attempts to scale back his aggressiveness have yielded some results so far, as he's already earned two free passes through 20 plate appearances in spring training. The approach may not last into the regular season, as Perez said that his primary focus will be continuing to make plenty of hard contact.

Grandal (knee) took swings during a simulated game Wednesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Grandal continues to work his way back from right knee inflammation, and he looked good once again in Wednesday's sim game. Manager Tony La Russa remains encouraged by Grandal's progress, but it's not yet clear when he'll be able to appear in spring games.

Murphy (lung) doesn't have a timetable for his return to game action but is taking batting practice, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Murphy underwent surgery over the offseason to address a collapsed lung. He's behind the rest of his teammates this spring, but Murphy has been doing at least some baseball activities since late February, including taking batting practice against the Athletics' coaching staff since the start of this week. He's considered close to ready for game action, which should give him a chance to get up to speed by Opening Day.

Stassi (hip) could start at catcher within the next couple days, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

He's started at designated hitter twice in the last week, most recently on Wednesday, but Stassi's hip injury has prevented him from starting behind the dish. It sounds like that could change this weekend. In the meantime, Kurt Suzuki has been serving as the primary catcher.

Maldonado went 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's spring game against the Nationals.

Maldonado is 3-for-9 with an RBI and two runs scored in five Grapefruit League games. He experienced an uptick in offense in 2020 -- his .728 OPS was his best since 2012 -- but he's on the team for his defense and ability to manage the pitching staff.