MLB Player News

Smith went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in an 8-2 victory versus Arizona on Thursday.

Smith's first RBI came on an infield single in the fifth inning. He followed up that hit with a two-run blast in the seventh frame to cap the scoring in the contest. Smith probably isn't going to challenge for the NL home run crown, but he's been pretty consistent in the long-ball department with between 17 and 25 homers each of the past five regular seasons. He batted .296 across 436 plate appearances during the regular season last year and is one of fantasy's most productive backstops.

Milias will begin the season on the Nationals' 26-man roster, Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie of MLB.com report.

The 28-year-old beat out Harry Ford and Riley Adams for the job of backing up Keibert Ruiz, giving the Nats a rare combo -- two switch-hitting catchers. Milias has seen brief action in the majors in each of the last three seasons but has never seen more than 62 plate appearances in a campaign, amassing a more-than-respectable .276/.340/.396 slash line with two homers and six steals in 49 games.

Heim has secured a spot on Atlanta's Opening Day roster, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

It will likely be a temporary assignment while Sean Murphy (hip) is on the IL, but Heim will back up Drake Baldwin to begin the season. Heim hasn't been able to match his career-best 2023 campaign with the Rangers, and over the last two seasons the 30-year-old switch hitter managed just a .217/.269/.334 slash line.

The Giants named Susac to their Opening Day roster Wednesday.

A Rule 5 Draft selection over the winter, Susac was able to beat out Jesus Rodriguez and non-roster invitee Eric Haase for the No. 2 catcher job during spring training. So long as top backstop Patrick Bailey is healthy, Susac will likely play sparingly, and the Giants will need to stash him on the major-league roster throughout the season, or else he'll have to be offered back to the Athletics. The 24-year-old showed some potential with the bat in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League last season with a .275/.350/.486 slash line to go with 18 home runs and seven stolen bases across 403 plate appearances, though he struck out at a 26.8 percent clip.

The Mets designated Rortvedt for assignment Wednesday.

Rortvedt was never going to make the Mets' roster as long as Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens were healthy, and the team's top two catchers are ready to go for Thursday's opener. The 28-year-old Rortvedt has been claimed off waivers three times already this offseason and could make it four.

The Phillies designated Stubbs for assignment Wednesday.

Stubbs lost out to Rafael Marchan for the Phillies' backup catcher job and is now without a spot on the 40-man roster. The 32-year-old has slashed only .215/.293/.310 in parts of seven big-league seasons, but catching depth is always a commodity so he could be scooped up on waivers.

The Rockies selected Sullivan's contract from Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday.

Sullivan won the backup catcher job behind starter Hunter Goodman. He will get some starts on days Goodman serves as a designated hitter, but Sullivan will mostly operate as a reserve.

The Diamondbacks placed Del Castillo on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a left calf strain.

Del Castillo was unable to make any Cactus League appearances after straining his left calf shortly before the start of camp, but he made enough progress in his recovery for Arizona to clear him to serve as a designated hitter in a minor-league spring training game earlier this week, per MLB.com. Arizona will likely want Del Castillo to be available to play catcher prior to activating him from the IL, and it's unclear how close the 26-year-old might be to taking part in defensive drills.

Atlanta placed Murphy (hip) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

Murphy's move to the IL was merely a formality after Mark Bowman of MLB.com reported at the onset of spring training that the veteran backstop would likely be out until sometime in May while completing his recovery from September surgery to address a right hip labral tear. Per MLB.com, Murphy was able to take on-field batting practice March 9, but it's not clear if he's taking part in defensive work or full baserunning yet. Drake Baldwin and Jonah Heim will open the season as Atlanta's two catchers.

Del Castillo (calf) is continuing to rehab and has begun running, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Del Castillo will operate as a designated hitter in minor-league games before the organization makes its next move. It's unclear what the Diamondbacks have in mind once Del Castillo is ready to play. He could serve as a third catcher and part-time DH in the majors or head back to the minors where he can continue to develop defensively.