MLB Player News

Marchan's hamstring issue will keep him out until at least the last week of March, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

If healthy, Marchan could potentially be needed at the start of the season, as J.T. Realmuto hopes to be ready to go following his fractured thumb but still hasn't gotten into game action. Marchan is the only other backstop on the 40-man roster besides Andrew Knapp. Non-roster invitee Jeff Mathis could make the team if neither Realmuto nor Marchan are cleared to play, but the Phillies would certainly prefer not to have to open a 40-man roster spot just to add a backup catcher for a week or two.

Marchan hasn't appeared in a game since the end of February due to a hamstring issue, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Marchan jumped straight from High-A to the big leagues last season, appearing in three games. He's likely to open this year in the minors but could have been called upon to open the season as Andrew Knapp's backup if J.T. Realmuto (thumb) isn't ready to go by Opening Day. It's unclear whether or not Marchan's injury is serious enough to threaten his readiness for the start of the season, but if both Realmuto and Marchan aren't ready to go it will likely be non-roster invitee Jeff Mathis who earns the backup job.

Realmuto (thumb) still expects to be ready to play on Opening Day, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto's cast on his fractured thumb was removed Friday. He hasn't been able to hit and throw since he suffered the injury, which occurred when he tried to block a pitch in the dirt a few days before camp officially opened, but he's been able to take part in some simulated action. Whether or not his optimism is shared by the team remains to be seen, but it sounds as if any absence to start the year will likely be a brief one. If he does wind up heading to the injured list, Andrew Knapp would step into a temporary starting role.

Knizner, who went 2-for-3 with two runs in a Grapefruit League loss to the Nationals on Friday, is 4-for-8 with a double, two RBI and four runs overall across three spring games.

Knizner finally appears to have a clear path to the primary backup role at catcher with veteran Matt Wieters, who effectively blocked him the last two seasons, no longer on the roster. Consequently, the 26-year-old's strong early start is reason for cautious optimism, especially since Knizner has a relatively extensive minor-league track record of success at the plate to support the notion he could thrive with extended opportunity. Through his first 75 major-league plate appearances over the last two seasons, Knizner has generated a .232/.280/.362 slash with five extra-base hits (three doubles, two home runs), 11 RBI, four walks, two steals and eight runs.

Ruiz (not injury related) has arrived in Arizona and is undergoing intake testing, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Ruiz wasn't present to begin spring training due to visa issues, but he'll be able to join the team for workouts in the coming days if he clears intake testing. The 22-year-old worked hard on his own to stay in shape while he was away from the team, and manager Dave Roberts said that he hopes to get Ruiz into game action at some point next week.

Realmuto's cast on his fractured right thumb was removed Friday, though he's still wearing a splint, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto continues to make progress after breaking his thumb in mid-February. Removing his cast is the step the Phillies hoped he'd be able to take at this stage, which is certainly a positive sign, though the latest reports indicate that Realmuto still can't hit or throw, contradicting February reports which held that he was doing those things while wearing his cast. It sounds as if he has plenty of work left to do to prepare for the upcoming season, putting his readiness for Opening Day in some question.

Campusano briefly left camp earlier in the week due to a personal issue, but he returned Thursday and could be in the lineup either Friday or Saturday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The nature of the issue has not been disclosed, so there's no telling whether it's related to Campusano's felony marijuana possession case, which remains pending in Georgia. With both Austin Nola and Victor Caratini ahead of Campusano on the catching depth chart and the legal issue clouding his outlook, Campusano may have a tough time breaking the Opening Day roster.

Casali (hand) is expected to start Friday's spring game against the Padres, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Casali underwent hamate surgery in December, but he played catch and hit without pain to begin spring training. He'll make his Cactus League debut Friday, batting third while playing catcher. Barring any setbacks, the veteran backstop should have plenty of time to prepare for Opening Day.

Realmuto (thumb) will undergo an X-ray at the end of the week to determine whether he can remove his cast, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Realmuto has been dealing with a fractured right thumb since the start of spring training but has still been able to catch and hit while wearing his cast. He appears to be progressing well in his recovery so far, but more clarity on his status should be known once the results of his X-ray are revealed.

Barnes' role with the Dodgers this season is expected to lean more toward a timeshare than a traditional backup situation, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Manager Dave Roberts suggested that both Barnes and Will Smith will play important roles behind the plate for the club this season, though he wasn't precise about how their playing time will shake out. "If you look at timeshare, I guess [Barnes is] a backup, but I don't see it as such," Roberts said. "I think it's a 1 and 1A. They're both very valuable, and I think that we've done a good job of using both of them and exploiting strengths and things to help us win baseball games." While Smith is clearly the more talented offensive performer, Barnes' ability to handle the pitching staff has allowed him to carve out a fair amount of playing time. The Dodgers often deployed Barnes behind the dish while slotting Smith at DH during the playoffs last season, but with the designated hitter out of the National League for 2021, that scenario is no longer an option. Smith is still expected to get the majority of the starts for Los Angeles, but he may not handle as large of a workload behind the plate as most everyday catchers.