MLB Player News

Nola was designated for assignment by the Marlins on Thursday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports

Nola was just 1-for-11 at the plate in a brief showing this spring, but even with J.T. Realmuto (back) not ready to begin the year, Nola is a ways away from factoring into the catching mix in Miami. The converted backstop is still expected to work on his catching at the Double-A level in 2018, provided he stays within the organization as opposed to free agency.

D'Arnaud will take a seat for Thursday's Opening Day contest against the Cardinals, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

Manager Mickey Callaway discussed having Kevin Plawecki in the lineup more often against right-handed pitching -- the Mets will face in Carlos Martinez to open up the 2018 season. Even though the Mets are set to go up against three right-handers in this opening series, expect to see d'Arnaud in the lineup this weekend since this doesn't figure to be a strict platoon by any means.

Wallach has earned a spot on the Marlins' Opening Day roster, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

With J.T. Realmuto (back) sent to the 10-day disabled list to begin the year, the Marlins have elected to keep three catchers on the Opening Day roster, with Tomas Telis and Bryan Holaday joining Wallach. Telis will likely serve as the primary catcher until Realmuto returns to the field. Over the course of six career games at the major-league level -- all coming last year with Cincinnati -- Wallach has gone 1-for-11 with five strikeouts at the dish.

Realmuto (back) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto continues to nurse a bone bruise in his back. While he's making solid progress, the Marlins don't want to rush the stud catcher back, especially considering they won't be competing this season. At this point it doesn't sound like Realmuto will need too much time on the shelf, but a clearer return date should start to materialize as he continues to ramp up activities. In the meantime, Tomas Telis will serve as the Marlins' primary backstop.

Diaz will open the season as the Pirates' backup catcher behind Francisco Cervelli, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Diaz's spring got off to a rocky start from a personal standpoint after his mother was kidnapped in his native Venezuela in early February, but things ended on a happier note three days later when she was rescued. The 27-year-old didn't end up missing any significant time in camp and was able to beat out Jacob Stallings and Ryan Lavarnway for the second catcher spot. So long as Cervelli stays healthy, Diaz will likely be limited to a couple starts per week.

Murphy was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Murphy has received brief callups in each of the past three seasons, but he has yet to establish himself at the big-league level. He was beat out for the backup role by Tony Wolters again this season. An injury to Wolters or starter Chris Iannetta would bring Murphy back to the big leagues, and while Coors Field makes him a better fantasy option than other backup catchers, he hasn't done much in his 44 major-league games thus far in his career, hitting just .214. He does at least provide a bit of pop (eight career major-league homers).

Mesoraco went 12-for-37 (.324 average) with a home run during Cactus League play.

Back to full health after three consecutive injury-plagued seasons, Mesoraco seems to have rediscovered the form at the plate that made him an All-Star in 2014. Tempting as it might be for the Reds to get his bat in the lineup on a regular basis, Mesoraco has proven unable to hold up to a full-time workload, so manager Bryan Price will likely continue to deploy the backstop only a few times per week behind primary starter and reigning National League Gold Glove winner Tucker Barnhart. With that in mind, Mesoraco warrants interest mostly in DFS formats rather than season-long leagues.

The Phillies designated Rupp for assignment Sunday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

It became apparent earlier in the spring that the Phillies intended to proceed with Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp as their two catchers once camp broke, so the team will now remove Rupp from its 40-man roster after failing to find a trade partner for the backstop. The Phillies will still have up to 10 days to try and trade Rupp, but if no deal emerges, he'll likely be exposed to waivers and could be claimed by another club looking to add experienced catching depth to its stable.

Caratini was informed Saturday that he made the Cubs' Opening Day roster, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

In a surprise move, Caratini will open the season as the Cubs' backup catcher. The 24-year-old backstop was expected to open the season in the minors, but a strong showing in camp (.243/.391/.378 across 46 plate appearances) prompted the Cubs to keep him over veteran Chris Gimenez. The youngster isn't expected to see regular playing time unless Willson Contreras suffers an injury, so it's still possible he'll head back to the minors for some more consistent playing time if necessary.

Stallings was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday.

Stallings unsurprisingly failed to crack the Opening Day roster with Francisco Cervelli and Elias Diaz making the team as the two catchers. The 28-year-old has only appeared in 10 major-league games over the course of his career and will continue to serve as organizational depth moving forward.