MLB Player News

The Mariners placed Murphy (foot) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

The transaction was made official shortly after the news broke that Murphy is dealing with a broken bone in his left foot, which he sustained after fouling a ball off of himself last week. The Mariners haven't provided an official timetable for Murphy's return, but his indefinite absence likely paves the way for Austin Nola to begin the season as the club's primary backstop.

Nola is expected to open the season as the Mariners' starting catcher after Tom Murphy was diagnosed with a broken foot Wednesday, Jen Mueller of ROOT Sports Northwest reports.

The 30-year-old was expected to see about 45 percent of the starts behind the plate alongside Murphy, but he'll now begin the season without any veteran competition. Nola saw his first major-league action in 2019 and had a strong showing with a .269/.342/.454 slash line and 10 homers in 79 games. According to Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle, Joe Hudson will operate as Seattle's backup catcher while Murphy is sidelined.

Murphy has a broken bone in his foot and will begin the season on the injured list, Jen Mueller of ROOT Sports Northwest reports.

The 29-year-old was poised to begin the season as the Mariners' starting catcher, but he fouled a ball off his foot on two separate occasions in summer camp and won't be available for Opening Day. GM Jerry Dipoto said he doesn't believe it will be a significant absence, but Murphy doesn't have an official timeline for his return. Austin Nola is set to take over the starting role in the meantime.

Murphy's ankle isn't responding to treatment, which could impact his availability for Opening Day, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Murphy was limited during camp after fouling two balls off his foot, and he could miss time to begin the regular season since his ankle isn't responding to treatment as the team had hoped. If the 29-year-old is unable to suit up for Opening Day, Austin Nola will likely serve as the primary catcher, with Joe Hudson or a current free agent as a potential backup.

Heim won't make the A's Opening Day roster but will be included on the team's three-man taxi squad.

The 25-year-old lost the backup catcher's job to Austin Allen, and Oakland apparently doesn't plan on opening the season with three catchers despite the expanded 30-man roster. However, Heim won't be far from the team and could quickly join the active roster once the season begins.

Rogers was reassigned to the Tigers' alternate training site Monday.

Both Rogers and Eric Haase were sent to the alternate site in Toledo, which clears the way for Austin Romine and Grayson Greiner to break summer camp on the active roster. Rogers could have a role on the team's three-player taxi squad for road games, as one spot needs to be used on a catcher, but the 25-year-old is otherwise on the outside looking in at the moment.

General manager Mike Elias said Monday that Rutschman could get called up this season but only "if we're heading toward a possible playoff berth," Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Anything is possible, especially in a 60-game season, but it certainly seems as though Rutschman's chances of debuting this year are quite low given that the Orioles aren't expected to be anywhere close to competitive. That's hardly a surprise, as even a player of his considerable talent needs more than 37 professional games before making his big-league debut. The young catcher's presence in the team's player pool will give him the best possible development environment this season, but it's highly unlikely to lead to anything more than that.

The Tigers optioned Haase to their alternative training site Monday.

The transaction officially ends Haase's bid for a spot on the active 30-man Opening Day roster, and the backstop could be at risk of losing his spot on the 40-man roster as well if the Tigers add other players before the start of the season. Detroit appears set to proceed with Austin Romine and Grayson Greiner as its top two catchers.

Thole has been assigned to the Yankees' alternate training site.

Given Thole's place at the bottom of New York's catching depth chart, it comes as no surprise that he won't be part of the big-league roster to begin the season. He'll instead provide a veteran presence as part of the Yankees' satellite camp.

Haase could potentially lose his spot on the 40-man roster as the Tigers add players before the start of the season, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Haase was thought to have the inside track on being the backup catcher during spring training, but Woodbery notes that Grayson Greiner will fill that role. That could put Haase's 40-man spot in jeopardy as the Tigers might need spots for the likes of Jordy Mercer, Jorge Bonifacio and a handful of pitchers. If Haase does get squeezed out of a regular roster spot, he could still end up on the team's three-player taxi squad for road trips as MLB rules stipulate that at least one taxi squad player is a catcher.