MLB Player News

Huff was added to the Rangers' 60-man player pool Sunday.

Huff, who is not on the 40-man roster, blew up in 2019 when he swatted a combined 28 home runs and knocked in 72 runs for Low-A Hickory and High-A Down East. He maintained an exit velocity of 91 MPH -- the MLB average was 88.1 -- per T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. The 6-foot-5 Huff may not remain a catcher as he moves forward, but his power potential is intriguing enough for the Rangers to find him a home. He's played first base in each of the last two seasons, but the Rangers are not currently planning a position shift. It's unlikely he'll get an opportunity to face MLB pitchers in 2020, but the Rangers will have him work with an established backstop, like Jeff Mathis, so that he can further his development behind the dish.

Naylor will be a part of the Indians' 60-man player pool this season.

Naylor is the Indians' top catching prospect, and he will get to train with some of the organization's best pitching prospects at an alternate site while the other three catchers in the 60-man pool will train with fellow big leaguers at Progressive Field. Naylor hit .243/.313/.421 with 11 home runs and seven steals at Low-A last year.

Heim, who was in a heated competition for the backup catcher job when spring training was suspended, is now highly likely to make the Athletics' Opening Day roster, Melissa Lockard of The Athletic reports.

Heim turned plenty of heads in Cactus League play with a .325 average (8-for-25), enough that he'd made up significant ground on Austin Allen in the battle for the backup catcher job by the time play was paused. While it may have been a close call for manager Bob Melvin had the regular season unfolded under normal circumstances with teams limited to 26-man rosters, Saxon notes the fact there are now four extra slots to work with almost certainly serves to lock in spots for both young backstops. The fact Heim is already on the 40-man roster only ups his chances of staying put when the regular season begins.

Stubbs will likely be part of the Astros' expanded roster, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Stubbs lost out on the backup catcher job to Dustin Garneau in spring training and was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock, but the luxury of an expanded roster means Houston can carry a third catcher. The Astros have talked about using Stubbs at other positions, which could benefit him as the team trims its roster from 30 to 28 two weeks into the season, then from 28 to 26 two weeks later.

Trevino (finger) is ready to go when baseball resumes its season, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Trevino fractured the knuckle of his right index finger in spring training, but he will be ready when training camp opens July 1. He is expected to serve as the third catcher behind Robinson Chirinos and Jeff Mathis.

Sanchez should be ready to go when the season resumes, Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media reports.

Little has been said about Sanchez's status since play was suspended, but the backstop downplayed the severity of his back tightness when it was brought to light in March and has since posted multiple videos to social media of himself doing baseball workouts. The long layoff should only benefit Sanchez as he seeks to maintain his position as the league's premier power-hitting catcher.

Raleigh, who is considered the organization's top catcher prospect, could be a candidate for the practice squad each team may be allowed to keep during an abbreviated 2020 season, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.

Raleigh reached Double-A Arkansas for the first time in 2019, slashing .228/.296/.414 across 159 plate appearances over 39 games with the Travelers. Those numbers, as well Raleigh's .188 average (3-for-16) before Cactus League play was paused, both support the notion he'd be best served putting in at least a partial season back at the Double-A level this year, but that isn't likely to be a possibility. Therefore, Brock reasons the next best option to keep Raleigh's development going in some form is to keep him in proximity to the big-league club, which, among other benefits, would give the young catcher a chance to learn from veteran Tom Murphy.

Perez was one of more than a dozen Rays players to participate in voluntary workouts at Tropicana Field on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The young backstop joined his teammates for activities such as playing catch, running, limited free-weight workouts and plyometric jumps, with the sessions held in staggered fashion and in groups of two. Perez was in position to secure the No. 2 catcher job behind Mike Zunino when spring training was suspended, although the expanded rosters and practice squads expected to be part of any abbreviated 2020 season should allow manager Kevin Cash to also keep at least one of veterans Kevan Smith and Chris Herrmann.

Bemboom may spend more time in the majors than expected if a 2020 season is played with expanded rosters, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Bemboom was optioned to Triple-A in mid-March and was expected to open the season in the minors before play was suspended. However, the likelihood of expanded rosters means that he could be used as catching depth behind Jason Castro and Max Stassi on the big-league squad. Though Bemboom's offensive skillset is limited, his potential to garner major-league playing time is aided by the injury histories of both backstops ahead of him on the depth chart.

McGuire's court date in Clearwater has been postponed to June 25, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

The catcher was originally scheduled to appear in a Pinellas County courtroom March 16 regarding his misdemeanor charge of exposure, but the hearing has been postponed twice due to the coronavirus pandemic. There's been no indication McGuire is facing additional league discipline due to the February incident, so it's likely his legal issues won't impact his availability once baseball is ready to resume play. The 25-year-old is expected to work in a timeshare behind the plate with Danny Jansen this season, although McGuire is more likely to be on the short end of it.