MLB Player News
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Diego Cartaya C | SF
Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Protected from Rule 5 draft
Cartaya was added to the Dodgers' 40-man roster Tuesday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.
Cartaya is one of the top catching prospects in baseball, so it's no surprise Los Angeles opted to shield him from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. The 21-year-old spent most of 2022 at High-A Great Lakes and posted a .251/.379/.476 slash line with 13 home runs and 41 RBI in 62 games.
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Jason Delay C | BOS
Pirates' Jason Delay: Removed from 40-man roster
Delay cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.
Delay played in 57 games for Pittsburgh last season but won't retain his spot on the 40-man roster. It was the 27-year-old's first taste of the big leagues, and he had a .213/.265/.271 slash line with one home run, 11 RBI and 17 runs.
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Tres Barrera C | WAS
Nationals' Tres Barrera: Outrighted to Triple-A
Barrera cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Barrera served as a reserve catcher for Washington at times in 2022 and went 9-for-50 in 19 games. He won't stick on the 40-man roster through the offseason and is likely to open 2023 back at Triple-A.
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Alex Jackson C | MIN
Brewers' Alex Jackson: Back on 40-man roster
The Brewers reinstated Jackson (wrist) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
The transaction makes Jackson one of three catchers on the 40-man roster, joining Victor Caratini and Mario Feliciano. With Omar Narvaez ticketed for free agency, Milwaukee will likely look to re-sign him or add another experienced option behind the plate, so Jackson is far from a lock to break camp with Milwaukee in 2023. Before he was shut down in late August with left wrist inflammation, Jackson appeared in just five games for Milwaukee and instead saw most of his action at Triple-A Nashville, where he posted a .701 OPS over 119 plate appearances.
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J.T. Realmuto C | PHI
Phillies' J.T. Realmuto: Hero in Game 1
Realmuto went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double, three RBI and a walk during Friday's 6-5 win over the Astros in Game 1 of the World Series.
Realmuto played a crucial part in the Phillies' five-run comeback -- he tied the game with a two-run double in the fifth inning off Justin Verlander and put the Phillies ahead in extra innings with a solo shot off Luis Garcia. The 31-year-old catcher was locked in at the plate during Game 1 -- he reached base three times, and his other two at bats were both line-drive outs. Realmuto's homer was his second in the last three games and third of the playoffs. Playing in his first career postseason, he has racked up six RBI and 11 runs scored.
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Diego Cartaya C | SF
Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Impresses again in 2022
Cartaya posted a composite .254/.389/.503 slash line with 22 homers, 72 RBI and 74 runs across 95 games split between Single-A and High-A this season.
While those overall numbers definitely got a boost from his time in the hitter-friendly California League, Cartaya's .856 OPS in High-A at age 20 is still impressive. He's striking out too often -- 119 times in 445 plate appearances, a 26.7 percent clip -- but Cartaya also draws plenty of walks and offers rare power at the catcher position. Among prospect backstops, perhaps only Francisco Alvarez offers more upside.
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J.T. Realmuto C | PHI
Phillies' J.T. Realmuto: Solo shot in Game 4
Realmuto went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two additional runs scored and two walks during Saturday's 10-6 win over the Padres in Game 4 of the NLCS.
Realmuto put the finishing touches on the Phillies' comeback in Game 4 with a solo homer off Steven Wilson in the seventh inning. The 31-year-old catcher entered the game struggling in his first career postseason, hitting .200 across 35 at bats, but he was able to reach base three times to help the Phillies win a crucial Game 4. Although his offensive numbers in the postseason do not jump off the page, Realmuto has now scored nine times, and his team is one win away from reaching the World Series.
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Francisco Alvarez C | NYM
Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Undergoes surgery
Alvarez underwent surgery on his right ankle Thursday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
The surgery was done to address the cartilage damage Alvarez suffered in late August, when he was still playing at Triple-A Syracuse. The procedure was an option at the time Alvarez suffered the injury, though he opted to play through it in the short term. Alvarez is expected to be fully healthy for spring training, when he'll have the chance to compete for a roster spot to break camp with the big-league club. He'll maintain rookie eligibility in 2023 after appearing in only five games for the Mets late in the season.
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Michael Perez C | BAL
Mets' Michael Perez: Moved off 40-man roster
The Mets outrighted Perez to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday.
Perez was designated for assignment one day after the Mets' Oct. 5 regular-season finale, but he'll stick in the organization for the time being after going unclaimed off waivers. The 30-year-old backstop saw 45 games at the big-league level between the Mets and Pirates in 2022, slashing .149/.214/.298 across 132 plate appearances.