MLB Player News

Herrera isn't starting Sunday's spring game against the Marlins as scheduled due to shoulder pain, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The 23-year-old has just 24 big-league games under his belt but is poised to share catching duties with Willson Contreras in 2024. It's unclear at this point if the injury is expected to affect Herrera's availability for Opening Day.

Cartaya has not participated in spring training games due to back soreness, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that the team expects Cartaya to be ready for the start of the MiLB season. The prospect catcher is coming off a disappointing 2023 season with Double-A Tulsa in which he slashed .189/.278/.377 with 19 home runs and 57 RBI over 403 plate appearances.

Sanchez (hand) could make his Cactus League debut March 14 against the Mariners, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

It's not clear whether the plan is to have him catch or serve as a designated hitter initially, but it will give Sanchez just under two weeks' worth of games to get ready for Opening Day. The 31-year-old has been eased into things this spring after injuring his hand in an offseason workout. Sanchez is projected to serve as Milwaukee's DH and backup catcher.

Ruiz (illness) is starting behind the plate and batting third in Friday's spring game against the Astros, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Ruiz sat out the past couple days due to an illness but will rejoin the lineup for Friday's contest. The 25-year-old is looking to take another step forward in 2024 after he posted a .260/.308/.409 slash line with 18 homers in 136 games last season.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton indicated Thursday that Grandal resides at the top of the catching depth chart but will need to have his workload limited, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

While it sounds like Shelton technically views Grandal as the starting catcher, he noted that Grandal is 35 years old and catching 100 games this season is "not going to happen." Shelton also indicated that the No. 2 catcher role is undecided, but whoever wins the job is "going to be in tandem a little bit" with the veteran. Grandal finished with just a .234/.309/.339 slash line over 405 plate appearances with the White Sox last season and doesn't make for a very appealing fantasy option.

Sanchez (hand) will take batting practice Wednesday, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Sanchez will be getting in his first BP of the spring, as he's slightly behind the Brewers' other position players in camp due to the right hand issue he suffered in an offseason workout. The 31-year-old -- who previously fractured the hand in September -- caught a live batting practice session Tuesday. At this stage, his ability to swing the bat comfortably may be of greater concern than his ability to play defense.

Ruiz is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox due to an illness, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

A bug may be making its way around the clubhouse, as Nick Senzel is also under the weather. Ruiz, who is 1-for-4 in two games so far this spring, should be considered day-to-day.

Herrera is in line to share the catching duties with Willson Contreras in 2024, Lynn Worthy of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Herrera, 23, has a clear path to the backup role after Andrew Knizner signed with the Rangers in the offseason. Herrera is focusing on building rapport with the Cardinals' overhauled pitching staff this spring. Considering Contreras is turning 32 in May, he may see some additional time at designated hitter if Herrera performs well enough to command extra playing time behind the dish.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Realmuto is on track to make his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday versus Atlanta, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto and first baseman Bryce Harper have been spectators for the Phillies' first four spring games, but neither is dealing with an injury and both are just getting extra time to ramp up before being thrust into action. Because Realmuto will likely shoulder one of the heavier workloads among all catchers in the league during the upcoming season, the Phillies will likely ease up on his usage during the spring and instead hand Garrett Stubbs, Rafael Marchan (back) and Cam Gallagher more opportunities behind the dish. Largely because of the high volume of starts he's historically handled, Realmuto will likely continue to be drafted as a top-five fantasy catcher, even though he may be more of a neutral rather than a positive asset in batting average these days after he hit .252 while striking out at a career-worst 25.7 percent clip in 2023.

Gallagher signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Sunday that includes an invitation to major-league camp, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Rafael Marchan (back) is a bit banged up early in camp, so the Phillies elected to bring aboard Gallagher for some extra catching depth. Gallagher appeared in 56 games for Cleveland last season but was awful at the plate with a .126/.154/.168 slash line and 30.9 percent strikeout rate.