Murphy has been diagnosed with a mid-back disk herniation and is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Murphy was given an epidural injection and will be re-evaluated in a few weeks. The 33-year-old entered camp as the favorite to be the Giants' backup catcher behind Patrick Bailey, but now Sam Huff and Max Stassi will compete for that gig. The Giants have also promoted Adrian Sugastey from the minor-league side of camp to supplement their catching depth.

Hernandez signed a minor-league deal with the Marlins in November.

Hernandez is starting in left field and batting ninth in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros. He was once a top prospect with the Rays but he slid down the defensive spectrum and hit .187 in 44 games at Triple-A last year.

Huff could make the Opening Day roster as the backup catcher with Tom Murphy sidelined with an oblique injury, The Athletic reports. Huff went 1-for-2 with a walk and home run Saturday in his spring debut.

Huff will compete with Max Stassi for the backup role to Patrick Bailey if Murphy begins the season on the injured list. Huff's performance in the spring training opener can only help his chances.

Moreno started at catcher and went hitless in his lone plate appearance in Friday's spring opener against Colorado.

Moreno, who will be the primary catcher during the regular season, worked with Arizona's big-ticket offseason addition, Corbin Burnes, who praised the backstop's work in their first turn together. Burnes struck out the side and later told Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports that he left the pitch calling/sequencing up to Moreno. The catcher was also 2-for-2 on pitch challenges, as MLB experiments with the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS) this spring.

Del Castillo will be limited to designated hitter duty initially in Cactus League play due to right arm fatigue, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

The injury does not appear to be a long-term concern, as the Diamondbacks expect Del Castillo to be ready to catch in games by early March. The 25-year-old is competing with Jose Herrera for the backup catcher job behind Gabriel Moreno.

Murphy believes the oblique injury he suffered Opening Day last season prevented him from ever getting comfortable with his swing, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. "It was a combination of a bunch of things," Murphy said this week. "Missing that much time at the beginning, that's not how I wanted to begin the season. I'm not sure my swing ever felt correct coming off the oblique, not that I was in any pain or hurt. Some things just fell off, and I never caught up and found a way to adjust."

The 30-year-old backstop roared out to an .843 OPS with 21 homers and 68 RBI -- all career highs -- over 108 games in his first season for Atlanta in 2023, but Murphy's production cratered in 2024 through 72 contests after he returned from the oblique strain. The team seems confident that the poor performance was an aberration, however, as Travis d'Arnaud was allowed to leave in free agency, leaving only Chadwick Tromp, Curt Casali and prospect Drake Baldwin competing for the backup job in camp. Murphy still has four more seasons left on the six-year, $73 million contract he signed in 2022, with Atlanta holding a $15 million club option for 2029, so he will be given every chance to regain his previous offensive form.

Contreras (finger) said recently that he added 10-to-12 pounds of muscle over the offseason, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Contreras is moving from catcher to first base this season and is less concerned about flexibility, freeing him up to add some bulk over the winter. The 32-year-old didn't play after Aug. 24 last season due to a fractured right middle finger, but he didn't require surgery and appears to be fully healthy for spring training, as Contreras said that "the ball is jumping a lot better than last year" during his hitting early on in camp. Contreras will remain eligible at catcher in fantasy leagues in 2025, and the move to first base should allow him to play more often and hopefully have a better chance of staying healthy, making him an intriguing selection in draft rooms.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Smith (ankle) is unlikely to make his Cactus League debut until next week, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

The Dodgers will kick off their spring slate Thursday, but Smith looks like he'll be out for at least the team's first four games of the exhibition schedule while he manages an ankle issue. According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, the injury affects Smith only while running, so the veteran backstop has still been able to catch bullpen sessions and take live batting practice thus far during camp. Assuming he completes his running progression in the coming days without issue, Smith should clear up any concern about his availability for the Dodgers' season-opening two-game series versus the Cubs in Tokyo on March 18 and 19.

Stallings will receive the bulk of the starts at catcher for the Rockies this season, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.

Stallings put together the best offensive season of his career in 2024 in his first season in Colorado, slashing .263/.357/.453 with nine homers over 82 games. He then re-signed with the Rockies over the offseason and will enter 2025 atop the catching depth chart, with Drew Romo, Hunter Goodman and Austin Nola competing for the backup job.

Giants manager Bob Melvin said Monday that Murphy is dealing with a mild oblique strain and is expected to return to game action in 7-to-10 days, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Giants had initially labeled Murphy's injury as back spasms, but an MRI detected the oblique strain. Though Melvin is referring to the oblique strain as minor, Murphy still looks set to miss multiple workouts before making his Cactus League debut. The veteran backstop had been limited to just 12 games with the Giants in 2024 due to a sprained MCL in his left knee, but he had received a clean bill of health heading into spring training before the oblique issue cropped up.