MLB Player News

Campusano was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old appeared to have a better chance of making San Diego's Opening Day roster after Victor Caratini was shipped to Milwaukee earlier in the day, but the young backstop will still begin the 2022 campaign at the Triple-A level. Austin Nola and Jorge Alfaro will operate as the Padres' two catchers with Campusano returning to El Paso, where he hit .295/.365/.541 with 15 home runs and 45 RBI last year.

Jackson was acquired by the Brewers from the Marlins on Wednesday in exchange for infielder Hayden Cantrelle and pitcher Alexis Ramirez.

Backup catcher Pedro Severino will miss 80 games after testing positive for a banned substance, so the Brewers traded for Victor Caratini and Jackson on Wednesday. Caratini will handle backup duties behind starter Omar Narvaez, while Jackson should head to Triple-A Nashville. Jackson had a .488 OPS in 52 games between Atlanta and Miami last year and could be called up by Milwaukee if Narvaez or Caratini suffer an injury.

There could be room on the Padres' Opening Day roster for Campusano now that Victor Caratini has been traded to the Brewers, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com suggests.

Campusano was essentially blocked from a roster spot with Austin Nola, Jorge Alfaro and Caratini all ahead of him on the catcher depth chart, but he could break camp with the big club now that Caratini is out of the picture. Of course, that would require San Diego to decide to carry three catchers, which is far from a certainty. Campusano didn't do much to help his case this spring, as he batted .118 (2-for-17) with nine strikeouts, though both of his hits were home runs.

The Padres acquired Sullivan and outfielder Korry Howell from the Brewers on Wednesday in exchange for catcher Victor Caratini, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Much like Austin Nola, Sullivan is primarily a catcher, but one that also possesses the athleticism to play the corner outfield or corner infield in a pinch as needed. His addition allows the Padres to maintain their organizational catching depth with Caratini headed to Milwaukee, though Sullivan will face a tougher path to earning a role in the big leagues in San Diego. In addition to Nola, the Padres have two other catchers (Jorge Alfaro and Luis Campusano) on the 40-man roster who are both presumably ahead of Sullivan in the pecking order. Sullivan is expected to report to Triple-A El Paso with his new organization.

Caratini was traded from the Padres to the Brewers on Wednesday in exchange for Korry Howell and Brett Sullivan, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The Padres have plenty of options to serve as catching depth, so Caratini will head to Milwaukee to serve as the No. 2 backstop behind Omar Narvaez after Pedro Severino was issued an 80-game suspension Tuesday. Caratini appeared in 116 games for the Padres last year and slashed .227/.309/.323 with seven home runs, 39 RBI, 33 runs and two stolen bases.

Perez went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in a 5-1 Grapefruit League loss Tuesday against Philadelphia.

Batting eighth in the lineup, Perez grounded out and struck out before being replaced by Taylor Davis. The Pirates signed the 33-year-old backstop to a one-year, $5 million contract to serve as their primary catcher following the trade of Jacob Stallings. A career .206 hitter, Perez slashed just .192/.267/.346 with one home run in 11 spring games. While he should get the majority of playing time behind the plate for Pittsburgh, he'll likely be a bottom-of-the-order, low-producing hitter.

The Pirates reassigned Perez to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Perez was one of three non-roster catchers who was sent to minor-league camp Tuesday, leaving the Pirates without an obvious No. 2 option behind top backstop Roberto Perez with Opening Day just two days away. Pittsburgh will most likely explore the trade and free-agent markets for another option to slot behind Roberto Perez on the depth chart.

The Pirates reassigned Davis to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Davis was one of three non-roster catchers who was sent to minor-league camp Tuesday, leaving the Pirates without an obvious No. 2 option behind top backstop Roberto Perez with Opening Day just two days away. Pittsburgh will most likely explore the trade or free-agent market for another option to slot behind Perez on the depth chart.

Stephenson has batted fifth in the last three spring training games that he's played in, all games with what appears to be the Reds' most likely Opening Day starters. He's hitting .393/.514/.500 in 35 spring training plate appearances.

In all three instances, Stephenson was hitting against right-handed starters, reinforcing the notion that he's more than a platoon starter, but the Reds' primary catching option, locked in behind Joey Votto.

Nido is batting .417 (10-for-24) with a double and a homer this spring.

The Mets' backup catcher has only a .566 OPS in his big-league career, so don't expect him to maintain that level of offense once the regular season begins. Nido will likely need a James McCann injury to see significant playing time in 2022, but his spot on the roster at least seems secure for now with top prospect Francisco Alvarez still a couple years away from the majors.