MLB Player News

Herrera's (knee) return to Grapefruit League play is considered imminent, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Herrera played in a "B" game Wednesday and has been returning to full workouts as he recovers from inflammation in his knee. The Cardinals could choose to ease him back into games at designated hitter before giving him more reps a catcher, but either way it seems Herrera will be back in the lineup in a day or two. Herrera is 2-for-7 at the plate in limited action so far this spring.

Herrera (knee) got eight plate appearances in a backfields game in Cardinals camp Wednesday, Brian Walton of TheCardinalNation.com reports.

Herrera -- who homered in his first plate appearance Wednesday -- has been slowed recently by knee inflammation. He had hoped to return to Grapefruit League action by now, but his participation in a "B" game suggests that should be coming soon. Herrera is expected to open the season as the Cardinals' primary designated hitter but will also see action at catcher.

Susac is viewed as the favorite to win the Giants' backup catcher job, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Eric Haase and Jesus Rodriguez are also in the mix to back up Patrick Bailey, though Susac appears likely to earn that role. The 24-year-old catcher was selected by the Athletics with the 19th overall pick in 2022 and has yet to make his big-league debut. He was left unprotected ahead of the Rule 5 Draft in December, and he was selected fourth overall by the Twins before being sent to San Francisco. Through eight Cactus League games with the Giants, Susac has slashed .350/.381/.450 with two runs scored, two doubles and one RBI across 21 plate appearances. He recorded a 26.8 percent strikeout rate with Triple-A Las Vegas last season, so improving his plate discipline and reducing strikeouts will continue to be a point of emphasis.

Mack (neck) is starting at catcher and batting cleanup in Tuesday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Nationals.

Mack was unavailable for a bit due to neck stiffness, but he's been cleared to return to action. The 23-year-old is 3-for-18 with one home run and a 2:6 BB:K this spring and is projected to open the season at Triple-A Jacksonville.

The Brewers reassigned Rodriguez (undisclosed) to minor-league camp Monday, Sophia Minnaert of FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin reports.

Rodriguez didn't see any action after May 16 last season after landing on Double-A Biloxi's injured list, but the 27-year-old backstop looks to be fully healthy entering the 2026 campaign. He appeared in six Cactus League games before the Brewers reassigned him Monday.

Contreras (finger) has gone 3-for-14 with a double and a 0:1 BB:K through four Cactus League games and has gone 0-for-3 with a walk through one game in the World Baseball Classic with Team Venezuela.

Contreras underwent a minor procedure in early November to address a fractured left middle finger, but he's been free of restrictions since reporting to Brewers camp in February. The 28-year-old catcher has yet to get going at the plate between his stops in the Cactus League and WBC, but his excellent track record since joining the Brewers ahead of the 2023 season should carry more weight for fantasy managers than his spring results. Contreras once again projects to handle one of the heavier workloads among all backstops in 2026 and should frequently stick in the MIlwaukee lineup at designated hitter on his non-catching days.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Monday that Mack is dealing with a stiff neck but should return to the Grapefruit League lineup in a couple days, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

McCullough noted that if it were the regular season, Mack would most likely play through the injury. Mack has appeared in seven games this spring for Miami, going 3-for-18 with one home run at the dish. He's third on the Marlins' catching depth chart and will begin the season at Triple-A Jacksonville, barring an injury to Agustin Ramirez or Liam Hicks.

The Brewers optioned Quero to minor-league camp Monday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Quero went 2-for-16 at the dish this spring for the Brewers. With William Contreras and Gary Sanchez slated to handle the top two catching spots with the big club, Quero was always destined to begin the year back at Triple-A Nashville. The defensively-gifted Quero could get an opportunity with the big club is Contreras is injured.

Rodriguez started at designated hitter and went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and a stolen base in Sunday's 9-5 Cactus League win over the Cubs.

Rodriguez drove a solo homer to left field in the sixth inning, bringing the Giants within one run. He later singled and stole second in the seventh. The 23-year-old catcher, who was acquired by San Francisco in a deal with the Yankees in July, is unlikely to make the Opening Day roster but could be a candidate for a call-up at some point during the regular season. Per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, manager Tony Vitello called him "Mr. Versatile" and added that Rodriguez will get a start at second base soon. While the majority of his time in the minors has been spent behind the plate and at DH, he also has experience playing third base.

Herrera (knee) will go through a series of workouts Monday, with an eye on returning to Grapefruit League play Tuesday or Wednesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Herrera was scratched from the Cardinals' lineup Saturday against the Mets due to knee inflammation. He did some early-morning workouts Monday to test the knee and will continue with more activities to gauge his readiness to return to action. Herrera is projected to begin the season as St. Louis' primary designated hitter. He's also expected to be worked in at catcher, though it's possible the knee issue affects how often he's used behind the plate.