Stephenson will open the season on the 10-day injured list after being diagnosed with a low-grade oblique strain, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Stephenson underwent tests for what had been described as a back injury, but an MRI revealed a strain to his oblique. That the strain is considered minor gives Stephenson a chance to keep his IL stint brief, but oblique issues can linger. With Stephenson out, Jose Trevino will open the season as the Reds' top catcher. Cincinnati has just two catchers on its 40-man roster, which leaves non-roster invitee Austin Wynns as a good bet to be the No. 2 backstop when camp breaks.

Tromp will likely back up rookie Drake Baldwin at catcher on Atlanta's Opening Day roster, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Sean Murphy (ribs) will begin the season on the IL, opening the door for Baldwin to make his big-league debut. Had Murphy not been injured, Tromp likely would have been the No. 2 backstop anyway, as he's out of minor-league options, but if Baldwin shows he's ready for the majors over the first weeks of the year, Tromp could be squeezed off the roster when Murphy returns.

Herrera is 6-for-12 with one home run and a 0:3 K:BB over his last five Grapefruit League contests.

The nice stretch at the plate came after he went hitless in his first six games of the spring. There isn't much question about Herrera's offense. Where he needs to improve is on the defensive side, and more specifically, with his throwing arm. Herrera trained this offseason at Driveline's facility in Tampa, where he was put on a program to build arm strength and alter his throwing motion, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The 24-year-old Herrera is competing with Pedro Pages for reps at catcher for the Cardinals, and the consensus is that Herrera will, at minimum, split the duties, and perhaps receive the lion's share of work.

Baldwin is fine Friday after being scratched from Wednesday's Grapefruit League lineup due to an allergic reaction, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The 23-year-old had an accidental exposure to walnuts but has since recovered from the allergic reaction. Baldwin is Atlanta's top prospect and has yet to make his MLB debut, but that could change soon with No. 1 backstop Sean Murphy (rib) set to begin the season on the injured list. Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution projects Baldwin to be the team's Opening Day starter behind the plate.

Stallings went 2-for-2 with a pair of home runs and four RBI in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.

Stallings is locked in as Colorado's primary catcher to begin the season, mostly due to his sturdy defense and veteran leadership. However, he flashed some pop by delivering his first homers of spring training Thursday. Overall, Stallings has collected six hits across 21 at-bats this spring.

Stephenson will undergo an MRI on his injured back Thursday, Pat Brennan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Stephenson had to be scratched from Wednesday's Cactus League lineup against the Rangers. Reds manager Terry Francona downplayed the injury at the time, but it seems Stephenson hasn't bounced back as quickly as hoped, necessitating the MRI. Francona said the team should have an update on Stephenson's condition later Thursday or Friday.

Pages adopted a new batting stance earlier this week in which he stands taller in the box and holds his hand higher, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Pages began to see the changes pay dividends in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game versus the Mets, as he contributed an opposite-field double while also hitting two hard lineouts. The 26-year-old Pages is competing with Ivan Herrera for playing time at catcher and is likely to enter the season as 1B to Herrera's 1A behind the dish.

Stephenson was scratched from Wednesday's lineup because of lower-to-mid back pain, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Stephenson was scheduled to be the designated hitter and was replaced by Blake Dunn. Cincinnati manager Terry Francona downplayed the injury, indicating Stephenson will be fine and that there was no need to push him.

Campusano may be trailing Elias Diaz in the battle to be San Diego's No. 1 catcher, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Following the departure of Kyle Higashioka to Texas in the offseason, San Diego's primary catcher role for 2025 appeared to be wide open. That's still the case, as none of the Padres' backstops has hit well this spring. Campusano has gone just 2-for-16 so far, while Diaz is 3-for-18. Meanwhile, San Diego's other backstop options, Brett Sullivan (2-for-15) and Martin Maldonado (0-for-13), have been equally unproductive. Cassavell speculates that Diaz's reputation as a strong defender could have him leading the race to start Opening Day, though the Padres don't appear to have made a decision in that regard to this point. Campusano finished last season at Triple-A and has one minor-league option remaining, so it's not certain that he'll even break camp with the big club.

Diaz "seems to have moderately separated himself" in the competition to be the Padres' No. 1 catcher, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Diaz first came to San Diego on a minor-league deal last August and ended up going just 4-for-21 over 24 regular-season games with the Padres. However, the offseason departure of Kyle Higashioka opened up a battle for the team's primary catcher role, and none of the club's backstops has seized hold of the opportunity this spring. Diaz is just 3-for-18 with five strikeouts and one walk, but Luis Campusano has been even less productive with a 2-for-16 line, while Brett Sullivan has gone 2-for-15 and Martin Maldonado is 0-for-13. Ethan Salas is viewed as the catcher of the future for San Diego, but he won't turn 19 until June and has just 33 plate appearances at Double-A under his belt. Cassavell speculates that Diaz's reputation as a good defender could earn him the starting role come Opening Day, though the catcher situation could be fluid throughout the campaign and tilt at any time this spring if one of the backstops goes on a hot streak.