MLB Player News

Rodriguez underwent surgery to repair the UCL and flexor tendon in his right elbow Tuesday.

Rodriguez injured himself on a swing while playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic on Nov. 13. He's expected to resume baseball activity within 10-12 months, ruling him out for all of next season. With Rodriguez out, Henry Davis will presumably take on a larger share of starts behind the plate, and Jason Delay and Ali Sanchez will be in the running for the backup catcher spot.

Bethancourt was acquired by the Marlins from the Guardians on Sunday for cash considerations, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

The 32-year-old was claimed off waivers by Cleveland in early November, but he's now being offloaded following the signing of Austin Hedges. Nick Fortes had a .562 OPS in 108 games for Miami last season and is the only other catcher currently on the big-league roster, which should give Bethancourt a decent path to playing time in 2024.

Atlanta acquired Stassi (hip/personal) and David Fletcher from the Angels on Friday in exchange for Evan White (hip) and Tyler Thomas, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The reigning NL East champs are already set at catcher with Sean Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud, so Stassi could quickly be flipped to another team -- assuming he's ready to resume his playing career. The 32-year-old did not appear in a game at any level in 2023 after suffering a hip injury late in spring training and then having to deal with a serious family medical issue.

The Yankees traded Higashioka to San Diego on Wednesday alongside Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Randy Vasquez and Jhony Brito in exchange for Juan Soto and Trent Grisham, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Higashioka slashed .236/.274/.413 with 10 homers and 34 RBI across 260 plate appearances last season -- his best season at the plate since 2020. However, with Luis Campusano virtually locked in as San Diego's main backstop, the 33-year-old Higashioka will have to compete with Brett Sullivan for a backup role.

The Mets claimed Heineman off waivers from the Blue Jays on Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Heineman is a career .218/.297/.282 hitter over parts of four big-league seasons. With Francisco Alvarez and Omar Narvaez back in 2024, the 32-year-old Heineman would appear pegged for Triple-A Syracuse to begin next season.

Atlanta re-signed Tromp to a minor-league contract Wednesday.

Tromp was non-tendered by Atlanta last week but will return to the organization. The 28-year-old catcher has put up a .640 OPS with five home runs over 102 plate appearances at the major-league level. He'll likely begin 2024 at Triple-A Gwinnett.

Stubbs avoided arbitration Friday with the Phillies on a one-year contract.

Stubbs slashed just .204/.274/.283 over 41 regular-season games in 2023 and drew only one postseason plate appearance, but the backup catcher figures to return to that role behind J.T. Realmuto in 2024.

The Cubs exercised Gomes' $6 million club option for 2024 on Sunday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Gomes has been a steady hand behind the plate for Chicago over the past two years, and he'll be back again for a third season. The 36-year-old had a .723 OPS last year in 116 games following the departure of Willson Contreras, and he'll likely open 2024 as the Cubs' top catcher.

Narvaez exercised his $7 million player option for 2024 on Thursday.

As expected, the 31-year-old will return next season as the backup to young Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez. Narvaez slashed just .211/.283/.297 over 49 games (146 plate appearances) in 2023, but he is a good defender behind the plate and had the player option in hand.

Perez was placed on outright assignment waivers Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

As part of a mass-clearing of the Mets' 40-man roster, Perez will join five other players on the waiver wire. Perez spent most of 2023 in Triple-A, slashing .204/.309/.352 across 270 plate appearances.