MLB Player News

The Pirates designated Sanchez for assignment Thursday.

Sanchez signed a one-year deal with the Pirates in the offseason but will fall short of the Opening Day roster after going just 2-for-16 during spring training. The 27-year-old catcher slashed .311/.375/.492 over 267 plate appearances at Triple-A Reno in the Diamondbacks organization last season, so he could draw interest from teams on the waiver wire.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Wednesday in an interview with 97.3 The Game Milwaukee that the team is leaning toward carrying two catchers, which would leave Haase without a roster spot.

Haase has had a terrific spring, but he's a difficult fit on Milwaukee's roster with William Contreras and Gary Sanchez around. The Brewers could draw interest in Haase via trade, but otherwise Milwaukee could try to pass him through waivers and stash him at Triple-A Nashville.

Smith agreed Wednesday with the Dodgers on a 10-year, $140 million contract extension, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Smith had been eligible for free agency after the 2025 season, but the extension -- the longest for a catcher in MLB history -- will keep him in Dodger blue through his age-38 campaign in 2033. Since posting a career-best .980 OPS in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Smith's OPS has dropped in each of the last three seasons, but his .797 mark in 2023 was still good for fifth among all backstops who logged at least 400 plate appearances. The 29-year-old got off to a strong start to the regular season during last week's Seoul Series, going 5-for-10 with a double, a walk, two RBI and one run in the Dodgers' two games versus the Padres. Smith occupied the cleanup spot in both of those contests, and if health prevails in 2024, he should have a prime opportunity to surpass his previous career high of 87 RBI while hitting behind the likes of Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.

The Cardinals optioned Pages to Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Pages slashed .240/.367/.440 across 30 plate appearances this spring, but he will have to keep waiting for his call up to the majors with Willson Contreras and Ivan Herrera already in the Cards' catcher room. The 25-year-old Pages will be returning to Memphis for the first time since 2022, when he turned in a .640 OPS and 17 RBI across 172 plate appearances.

The Giants optioned Sabol to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Sabol's chances at making the Opening Day roster as a third catcher were already low, and he'll officially head back to the minors to begin 2024 after slashing .211/.333/.263 across 24 plate appearances during spring training. The 26-year-old backstop posted a .969 OPS during his last Triple-A stint in 2022, and he may be able to hit his way back into San Francisco if he performs at that level in 2024.

Haase went 15-for-38 (.395) with five home runs, three doubles, 14 RBI, 11 runs and a 5:6 BB:K over 18 games this spring.

Haase joined the Brewers over the offseason after splitting the 2023 campaign with the Tigers and Guardians, and he made just about as good of an impression as he could during the exhibition season. Fellow backstops William Contreras and Gary Sanchez are locked in, the Brewers would need to open the season with three catchers to get Haase onto the 26-man roster. However, given the way he hit this spring, they may opt to do just that.

The Diamondbacks selected Barnhart's contract Monday.

The transaction confirms that Barnhart will be a part of the Diamondbacks' Opening Day roster, which had already been made apparent when his primary competition for the No. 2 catcher role, Jose Herrera, was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Sunday. During his time in the big leagues with the Reds, Tigers and Cubs, Barnhart has been valued for his defensive work and ability to handle a pitching staff, but the Diamondbacks aren't likely to count on him to make more than one or two starts per week while top backstop Gabriel Moreno is healthy.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Monday that Grandal (foot) could be cleared to begin running early next week, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Grandal has done advanced plyometric work as he rehabs from plantar fasciitis in his foot. He will begin the season on the injured list, which means Henry Davis will head into Opening Day atop the Pirates' catching depth chart.

Adams will begin the season as the Nationals' backup catcher behind Keibert Ruiz.

Adams was surprisingly productive at the plate in 2023, slashing .273/.331/.476 with four homers in 158 plate appearances, and he showed no signs of regression in camp. Ruiz will see a heavy workload, but Adams has earned the trust of the pitching staff and could see more consistent action in 2024, giving him some fantasy appeal as a cheap endgame catcher in deep formats.

Grandal (foot) is set to begin the season on the 10-day injured list, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

The Pirates may wait until Thursday to officially place Grandal on the IL, but he'll be sidelined to begin the season while he still has yet to resume running as he works his way back from plantar fasciitis. Grandal hasn't been shut down from activity entirely, as he's still been able to catch and hit in simulated games at spring training as of last week, per MLB.com. While Grandal is on the shelf, Henry Davis should move into a full-time role behind the plate.