MLB Player News

Barrera has made a strong impression in spring camp, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol has made it clear that the job behind starting backstop Willson Contreras is "wide open," and Barrera has a strong chance to win that position. The backstop signed on with St. Louis as a non-roster invitee and has posted just a .631 OPS so far over 162 plate appearances at the major-league level. Andrew Knizner is also battling for the backup gig. This appears to be a competition that could go down to the final days of spring training.

Nola was scratched from the Padres' Cactus League lineup Tuesday due to flu-like symptoms.

Nola should be good to go after a day or two of rest and fluids. Pedro Severino will get the start at catcher in his place Tuesday afternoon against the Angels.

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol noted Tuesday that Knizner is not assured of the team's backup catcher role, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Knizner served as the primary understudy to Yadier Molina over the last two seasons, but he holds just a .204/.292/.288 career batting line in 553 plate appearances at the major-league level. Tres Barrera has impressed the Cardinals' coaches and pitchers this spring, per Denton, and might emerge as the No. 2 option behind Willson Contreras.

Huff (shoulder) caught two innings and drew a walk in his lone plate appearance in Monday's 4-1 loss to the Rockies in Cactus League play.

Huff returned to action for the first time since last Wednesday, when he sustained a right shoulder injury in a game against the Padres. The Rangers never expressed much concern about the condition of Huff's shoulder, and his ability to check back in behind the plate less than a week later suggests he'll be ready to go for the start of the regular season.

Wong (hamstring) was able to go through some agility drills Sunday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Wong has also been doing some running in the pool. While he might be a tad ahead of schedule in his recovery from a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, Wong's availability for Opening Day remains very much up in the air.

Amaya (foot) took reps at catcher and hit during a simulated game Saturday and could make his Cactus League debut in the near future, LaMond Pope and Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Amaya looks to be nearing the finish line in his recovery from the Lisfranc fracture he sustained to his left foot while playing at Double-A Tennessee in mid-September. The 23-year-old backstop, who had already missed the first three months of the season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, served exclusively as a designated hitter for Tennessee but was expected to be ready to handle reps behind the plate in the Arizona Fall League had the foot injury not nixed those plans. Amaya said that he felt comfortable while making throws behind the plate Saturday, and his foot presented no complications while he was hitting. Once he makes his spring debut, Amaya should be in the clear for the start of the minor-league season in early April.

Rogers went 2-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

Rogers has now slugged three home runs in only five spring training games. The catcher has 10 career regular season long balls in 73 games at the MLB level, so he has shown decent power potential in his limited time in the majors. Rogers has the inside track on the backup role behind Eric Haase, but if the former manages to earn more playing time, he could have some fantasy appeal as a source of home runs from the catcher position.

Pineda has been diagnosed with a displacement at the tip of his right pinky finger, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Pineda was struck by a pitch in a spring game Saturday. This shouldn't be all that much of a setback, as he is slated to catch in a back-field game at Nationals camp Sunday. The injury is an issue for him with throwing but not hitting.

Pineda will undergo X-rays after being struck by a pitch on the hand in Saturday's spring game, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

The tests figure to reveal whether or not Pineda will miss any time with the injury. His status will be updated again when more information is released.

Murphy went 3-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's Cactus League win over the Diamondbacks.

Murphy is reacclimating after seeing his 2022 season end in June due to shoulder surgery, and Friday's breakout performance against the Diamondbacks might be considered his official welcome back party after a quiet first three games at the plate. Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports Mariners starting pitcher Marco Gonzales, who had Murphy as his battery mate for the first time since last season Friday, is especially excited about getting back what he considers a valuable resource. "He's just an energy source in our dugout," said Gonzales. "He's able to kind of pull the mask down and be really serious, too, which is good. So he knows what I need to do to be successful. And I think even sometimes better than I myself do, and so to have that voice out there is just priceless for me."