MLB Player News

Stephenson is preparing to be the Reds' primary catcher in 2024, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

That's essentially what Stephenson was in 2023, but a series of injuries in 2022 limited him to 50 games that season and had a cascading effect the following year. The most serious injury was to his collarbone, which may have contributed to Stephenson losing 150 points of OPS. The injuries also caused lost time behind the plate that he could have used to gain game-calling experience. That lost experience led to more starts during the Reds' postseason push for Luke Maile in 2023. The plan for 2024 is different than last spring, when manager David Bell tried creating a rotation of three catchers that had Stephenson working as a designated hitter -- he started 42 games at DH. The trick for the 27-year-old Stephenson is to maintain a middle-of-the-order bat while improving behind the plate and working with pitchers.

Sanchez did not report to Brewers camp Wednesday with the rest of the team's pitchers and catchers, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

He has still not arrived as of Friday and there's no word on when or if his reported one-year, $7 million contract will be finalized. Rosiak speculated Wednesday that negotiations might still be ongoing. Assuming the deal does eventually become official, Sanchez is expected to see plenty of action at designated hitter as well as backing up William Contreras at catcher.

Adams (wrist) appears to be fully recovered from hamate bone surgery in his wrist and has no restrictions to begin spring training, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The catcher underwent surgery in September, ending his 2023 campaign prematurely. Adams had something of a breakout at the plate in 2023, slashing .273/.331/.476 in 158 plate appearances, but the 27-year-old remains firmly behind Keibert Ruiz on the Nationals' depth chart.

Sabol will likely get a look at first base in spring training, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Sabol, a natural catcher, is behind at least Patrick Bailey and Tom Murphy at that position. He also saw time in left field last season, but manager Bob Melvin wants to add more versatility to Sabol's profile. The 26-year-old had to stay on the major-league roster all of last season after being acquired in the Rule 5 draft from the Reds, but Sabol will be able to be optioned to the minors if he can't carve out at least a utility role in 2024.

The Pirates placed Rodriguez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

The transaction is a procedural move to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for catcher Yasmani Grandal, whom the Pirates signed to a one-year contract. Grandal is projected to slot in as the primary backup to top catcher Henry Davis while Rodriguez is set to miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing surgery in December to repair the UCL and flexor tendon in his right elbow.

Casali signed a minor-league deal with the Marlins on Tuesday, which includes an invitation to spring training, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Casali was the backup catcher in Cincinnati for portions of 2023, though he earned only 96 plate appearances and posted a very poor .490 OPS. On the other hand, he lands in a good spot from an opportunity perspective, as Miami has only Nick Fortes and Christian Bethancourt as options behind the dish.

Grandal and the Pirates agreed Sunday on a one-year, $2.5 million contract, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Grandal will make the move back to the National League after spending the past four seasons with the White Sox. The 35-year-old lost playing time down the stretch last season and and finished with a .234/.309/.339 slash line over 405 plate appearances. Though he was once an upper-tier fantasy catcher, Grandal is clearly on the downside of his career, as he's posted a lowly 74 wRC+ over the past two seasons. In Pittsburgh, Grandal projects to see a couple of starts per week behind the plate as young backstop Henry Davis' primary backup. The switch-hitting Grandal has typically performed better against left-handed pitching throughout his career, so he could also be deployed as a short-side platoon option at first base or at designated hitter.

Sanchez signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Brewers on Wednesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Sanchez spent most of last season with the Padres, slashing .218/.292/.500 with 19 homers and 46 RBI after being claimed by the team in late May. The 31-year-old was particularly effective against lefties, putting up a .984 OPS over 79 plate appearances. Now with Milwaukee, Sanchez will likely receive most of his at-bats at designated hitter while also giving the Crew another option at catcher behind starter William Contreras.

Fortes worked on changes to his stance and swing this offseason, and Marlins manager Skip Schumaker is expecting more offense from him this season, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

It would be hard for Fortes' offense to get worse in 2024 after he stumbled to a .562 OPS through 323 plate appearances last year, a significant decline from the .696 OPS he posted in 2022. The Marlins like his work with the pitching staff, however, and offseason addition Christian Bethancourt has a career .622 OPS in the majors, so the starting job behind the plate likely still belongs to Fortes.

Pineda cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Rochester on Friday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Pineda is no longer on the Nationals' 40-man roster but will retain a spot in the organization. The 23-year-old catcher slashed just .152/.215/.212 across 107 plate appearances at Double-A Harrisburg in 2023.