MLB Player News

Grandal (calf) was able to catch Wednesday, Scot Gregor of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.

Grandal came into camp with a mild calf strain and is expected to miss the first few Cactus League games. Initial reports indicated that his start to the regular season wasn't at risk, and the fact that he's already able to catch at the start of camp appears to back that up.

Grandal will miss the first week of Cactus League contests with a mild calf strain, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

The issue doesn't appear likely to threaten Grandal's Opening Day availability, though it would obviously be preferable for a 31-year-old catcher to enter the season without any injury worries. Grandal hasn't hit the injured list since April of 2016 and has played in 140 and 153 games over the last two years.

McGuire was arrested last weekend for the exposure of sexual organs and given notice to appear in court March 16 in Clearwater, Florida, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The team issued a statement Wednesday morning saying, "The Toronto Blue Jays are aware of the recent police incident involving catcher Reese McGuire. He has been in communication with the Blue Jays and we are working to gather more information. Out of respect for the legal process, neither he nor the club will comment any further at this time." McGuire is expected to compete with Danny Jansen for the primary catcher role in spring training.

Manager Mike Matheny said Wednesday that Perez (elbow) enters spring training without any restrictions, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Matheny noted that the backstop will meet with a doctor Thursday just to confirm that he's made a full recovery from the Tommy John surgery he underwent last March, but all signs point to Perez being available for Cactus League action. Given that he's returning from a major injury, Perez's workload will likely be lighter compared to previous springs, but once the season gets underway, he projects to handle one of the heftier workloads among all catchers. During his last full season in 2018, Perez played in 129 games and slashed .235/.274/.439 with 27 home runs and 80 RBI across 544 plate appearances.

The Dodgers have agreed to send Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs, and Wong to the Red Sox in exchange for Mookie Betts and David Price, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Wong finished the 2019 season with Double-A Tulsa, hitting .349/.393/.604 with nine home runs, 31 RBI and 17 runs scored in 163 plate appearances. Plate discipline has been an area of concern for the 23-year-old catching prospect, recording a 32:147 BB:K across all minor league levels last year. Wong will look to make a positive impression on the Red Sox this spring.

Kirk will join the Blue Jays' big-league camp this spring.

Kirk will get to work with the big-league coaching staff for a few weeks, though he's unlikely to join them for good this season. He's yet to reach the Double-A level, though his .288/.395/.446 slash line in 71 games for High-A Dunedin was quite impressive, especially when factoring in his 13.8 percent walk rate and 11.2 percent strikeout rate.

Rupp joined Cleveland as a non-roster invitee Friday, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Rupp's career .243/.298/.407 slash line in 296 big-league games looks good enough for him to at least contend for a backup catcher spot, but he's spent time with five different organizations over the last two seasons and failed to return to the majors with any of them. He looks to be minor-league depth behind Roberto Perez and Sandy Leon this season but could potentially make the major-league roster if one of that pair gets injured.

Jeffers was invited to big-league camp by the Twins on Monday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Jeffers has just 24 games at the Double-A level under his belt, so he's unlikely to be under consideration for an Opening Day roster spot. The 22-year-old catcher hit .264/.341/.421 with 14 homers in 103 games at the High-A and Double-A levels last season.

Thole signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Tuesday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Thole has played 478 career big-league games, but none of them have come since 2016. With a career .242/.313/.306 slash line and no recent major-league experience, he'll likely serve as organizational depth this season.

Perez (elbow) threw down to second base Friday for the first time since his surgery and expects to be ready for Opening Day, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Perez missed the entire 2019 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but he continues to prove that he's right on track with his rehab. He's expected to be restriction-free heading into spring training and should begin ramping up his baseball activities in the near future.