MLB Player News

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.

Smith is expected to pair with Austin Barnes in a timeshare at catcher for the Dodgers this season, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Though Smith is considerably more explosive offensively than Barnes -- the former slashed .289/.401/.579 with eight homers last season, while the latter put up a .244/.353/.314 line with only one long ball -- the Dodgers value Barnes' defense to such a degree that they played him over Smith behind the dish frequently during their postseason run in 2020. In that scenario, Smith was able to shift over to designated hitter, but with the DH not expected to be utilized in the National League this season, he's not going to see as many at-bats as your typical starting catcher. "If you look at timeshare, I guess [Barnes is] a backup, but I don't see it as such," manager Dave Roberts said Sunday. "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." That doesn't make it clear exactly how playing time will be divided between the two, and Smith is productive enough to be a valuable fantasy contributor even if he's out of the lineup a few days per week, but the situation bears watching early in the campaign to get a sense of how things will shake out.

Narvaez went 2-for-3 with a double and a run in Sunday's spring opener.

Narvaez struggled at the plate in 2020, so the two hits in his first appearance of the exhibition season were surely a welcome sight. While Narvaez posted just a .563 OPS last season, he did grade out well defensively, and he figures to form some sort of timeshare behind the plate with Manny Pina.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Ruiz remains without a clear timeline to report to camp while he looks to resolve visa issues, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

According to Toribio, Ruiz has left his native Venezuela and has arrived in Dominican Republic, hoping the change in countries will expedite his migration to the United States. While he waits for the proper paperwork to get resolved, Ruiz has been working hard on his own to stay in shape, according to Roberts. The 22-year-old catcher is expected to open the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he'll be able to play on an everyday basis.