MLB Player News

Knizner is part of the Cardinals' player pool that will report to summer camp July 1, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Knizner's presence in the player pool is of little surprise, and he's expected to be part of the expanded Opening Day roster as well. The 25-year-old projects to slot in behind veterans Yadier Molina and Matt Wieters behind the dish, and he could potentially see time at the designated hitter slot that will be available in the National League for the 2020 season.

Godoy is part of the Cardinals' player pool that will report to summer camp July 1, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The long-time minor-leaguer finally found his way to Triple-A Memphis last season, slashing .316/.368/.468 across 87 plate appearances. Godoy seems a likely candidate to eventually transition to the pool of up to 30 players that will train off-site and be available for promotion once the regular season begins.

Stephenson will be a part of the Reds' 60-man player pool this season.

While Stephenson is on the 40-man roster and viewed as the team's catcher of the future, he is unlikely to see a major role in 2020. Tucker Barnhart, Curt Casali and Kyle Farmer are the only catchers who will be training at Great American Ball Park.

Herrera will be a part of the Cardinals' taxi squad this season, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports.

Herrera was a part of major-league camp during spring training this year, where he went 2-for-9 over five games before play was suspended. While the 20-year-old is likely viewed as the Cardinals' catcher of the future within the organization, it's unlikely that he'll see significant playing time in the majors this season given his lack of experience above High-A.

Bart will be in major-league camp once play resumes but likely isn't a candidate for the Opening Day roster, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Bart was reassigned to minor-league camp in March before the season was suspended, but he'll now get a chance to gain more experience against higher-level talent before the regular season gets underway. The catcher appeared in just 22 games at the Double-A level in 2019, but he hit .280/.329/.503 with 17 home runs and 49 RBI over 80 total games in the minors last year. It's unclear what level the 23-year-old will be assigned to once the season begins.

Knizner is viewed less as the organization's catcher of the future than Ivan Herrera, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Hummel answers a question from a reader about whether Knizner is a future trade chip due to the presence of Herrera by noting he believes the former can still be an important member of the Cardinals. In addition to serving as a potential backup catcher and first baseman, Knizner could be a natural to fill a designated hitter role if it's instituted in the National League beginning in the 2022 season. The 25-year-old has essentially been in a holding pattern at Triple-A Memphis for the last two seasons while Yadier Molina continues to serve as the unquestioned top catcher when healthy, although Knizner did log his first 18 games of big-league action in 2019. It's also worth noting Knizner is significantly further along his developmental journey than Herrera; therefore, depending on a variety of factors, including the likelihood of a cancelled 2020 minor-league season and expanded rosters at the big-league level this year, Knizner could still put in at least two seasons at the major-league level before Herrera is ready to make his Cardinals debut.

Herrera, who hit .222 (2-for-9) across five Grapefruit League games before spring training was suspended, was earmarked for a return to Double-A Springfield at some point in 2020 as the primary catcher, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Herrera won't even turn 20 until June 1, but he's already made a relatively efficient climb up the organizational ladder in his two years of professional ball. Herrera actually logged five plate appearances and two games in Springfield back in 2018, making an experimental jump all the way up from Rookie-level Gulfport. The promising prospect then put in strong stints at both Low-A Peoria and High-A Palm Beach last year, and he generated a .324 average and .821 OPS across 10 contests in the Arizona Fall League as the youngest catcher to receive an invite. Herrera's defensive work is also starting to come along, and despite the presence of Andrew Knizner at Triple-A Memphis, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the team sees Herrera as the heir apparent to Yadier Molina and Knizner more as a potential backup both behind the dish and at first base.

Barnes has been able to both hit and catch during the suspension of play, he stated in an interview with John Hartung of Spectrum SportsNet LA on Wednesday.

"I'm able to play catch. I'm able to hit a little bit, find a cage here and there," Barnes explained. The 30-year-old indicated that he "feels good" and is ready to go should a second spring training take place in the weeks ahead. Barnes is slated to back up Will Smith behind the plate this season, though the two may approach something close to a split based on comments made by manager Dave Roberts before play was halted.

Campusano is a candidate to be placed on the Padres' taxi squad if a 2020 season takes place, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Campusano probably isn't ready for a leap to the major leagues -- he spent all of last season in High-A ball -- but placement on the taxi squad may be the best way to continue his development considering the perilous state of the minor-league season. The 21-year-old is coming off a co-MVP campaign in the California League and is considered the top catching prospect in the Padres' system.

Contreras, who has consistently performed better in the first half of seasons, could excel during a shortened 2020 slate, Max Goodman of SI.com reports.

For his career, Contreras has posted better offensive numbers across the board in the first half of seasons. Last year, he led the Cubs with a .294 average and .965 OPS through 82 games. This isn't particularly surprising, given the wear and tear that comes with playing catcher. Contreras could end up benefiting from a shortened schedule, especially if teams are allowed to operate with expanded rosters and Chicago decides to keep a third catcher on the roster.