MLB Player News

The Giants optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Rodriguez was competing to break camp as the backup to Patrick Bailey, but instead the 23-year-old catcher will begin the 2026 campaign at Triple-A. Rodriguez was acquired from the Yankees at the trade deadline last season in the deal that sent Camilo Doval to the Bronx.

The Nationals reassigned Adams to minor-league camp Wednesday.

Adams was booted from the 40-man roster in January and is slated to begin the season at Triple-A Rochester. While Adams has elite bat speed, he strikes out too much at the plate. He slashed .186/.252/.308 with eight home runs, 24 RBI, 29 runs scored and an 18:110 BB:K across 286 plate appearances for Washington last season.

The Nationals optioned Ford to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.

With Ford starting the season in Triple-A, it appears Drew Millas will open the 2026 campaign as the backup to Keibert Ruiz at catcher. Ford was acquired from the Mariners over the winter and was thought to be in the mix to beat out Ruiz for the starting gig. Ford, however, didn't do much at the plate this spring to force Washington's hand, slashing .214/.353/.286 across 17 plate appearances. He hit .200 with a .694 OPS in four games at the World Baseball Classic for Team Great Britain. Ford should be in the majors at some point this season.

Campusano is likely to open the regular season as San Diego's No. 2 catcher, per MLB.com.

Campusano has mostly struggled with the big-league club in parts of previous campaigns, and he went a miserable 0-for-21 with a 6:11 BB:K over 10 games last year. However, he also posted a 1.024 OPS with 24 home runs and 92 RBI across 466 plate appearances with Triple-A El Paso, so he has nothing left to prove in the minors. Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado are no longer with San Diego this season, and the Padres seem content to have Campusano back up primary catcher Freddy Fermin despite Campusano's struggles this spring, as he slashing just .172/.250/.241 with no RBI through 13 games.

Herrera (knee) will start at catcher and bat second in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

Herrera is expected to play behind the plate for the first three innings of Wednesday's contest in what marks his first game action since March 6. The 25-year-old has been slowed by knee inflammation over the past two weeks, but assuming he emerges from Wednesday's contest without any setbacks, he should be ready to go for Opening Day. Herrera is expected to a regular part of the St. Louis lineup this season, seeing the bulk of his action at designated hitter while occasionally spelling Pedro Pages at catcher.

Baldwin went 2-for-4 with a walk, a triple, a home run and four RBI in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

After ripping a three-bagger off Nick Martinez in the second inning to bring home Mauricio Dubon, Baldwin clubbed a three-run blast to right field in the eighth off Yoendrys Gomez. The young catcher is having a strong spring, batting .333 (10-for-30) with two doubles, two triples and two homers as Baldwin looks to build on his dynamic 2025 rookie campaign.

Herrera (knee) will catch a bullpen session Tuesday and is expected to be in the Cardinals' Grapefruit League lineup Wednesday against the Astros, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The 25-year-old is expected to catch three frames in Wednesday's contest, as he's scheduled to get his first at-bats in a Grapefruit League game in nearly two weeks. Herrera was built up slowly at the start of spring training following offseason elbow surgery but has more recently been battling knee inflammation. He's expected to open the campaign as St. Louis' primary designated hitter but should also see some opportunities behind the plate.

Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, a run scored and an RBI in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

Alvarez has looked good this spring, batting .381 (8-for-21) with three doubles and a homer. The 24-year-old backstop is locked into the starting spot for the Mets, and given how he finished last season -- .276/.360/.561 over 41 games after the All-Star break with eight home runs -- a breakout could be in the cards if Alvarez can stay healthy in 2026.

Realmuto (illness) is starting at catcher and batting second Tuesday against the Twins, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

He was under the weather for a couple days. Realmuto is batting .235 with one home run in seven games this spring.

McCann went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, three RBI and an additional run scored in Monday's spring game against Cincinnati.

McCann swatted his first home run of the Cactus League and is batting .214 over 28 spring at-bats. He's expected to serve as the backup to Gabriel Moreno (forearm) but could be needed for more depending on the starter's recovery. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports on Monday that Moreno will begin a throwing program next week, which also marks the start of the regular season. Lovullo is confident there's enough time for the injured catcher to ramp up for Opening Day; if not, McCann appears ready to fill in.