MLB Player News

Haase may work on the short side of a platoon with Akil Baddoo to begin the season, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The Tigers traded for Austin Meadows on Monday, which adds some new wrinkles to the outfield. Both Meadows and Baddoo are left-handed bats, and one or both may sit out against southpaws. In such a scenario, Haase along with Victor Reyes are options for more at-bats. Even with the addition of Meadows, Haase should see plenty of playing time, as he's versatile enough to play in the outfield, at first base and behind the plate.

The Blue Jays reassigned Heineman to minor-league camp Tuesday, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

Heineman was attending camp as a non-roster invitee and was behind at least Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk, Zack Collins and Gabriel Moreno on the organizational depth chart at catcher, so he never had much hope of earning a spot on the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster. The 30-year-old backstop is expected to report to Triple-A Buffalo, where he'll likely serve as Moreno's primary understudy.

The Pirates reassigned Perez to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Perez was one of three non-roster catchers who was sent to minor-league camp Tuesday, leaving the Pirates without an obvious No. 2 option behind top backstop Roberto Perez with Opening Day just two days away. Pittsburgh will most likely explore the trade and free-agent markets for another option to slot behind Roberto Perez on the depth chart.

The Pirates reassigned Davis to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Davis was one of three non-roster catchers who was sent to minor-league camp Tuesday, leaving the Pirates without an obvious No. 2 option behind top backstop Roberto Perez with Opening Day just two days away. Pittsburgh will most likely explore the trade or free-agent market for another option to slot behind Perez on the depth chart.

Stephenson has batted fifth in the last three spring training games that he's played in, all games with what appears to be the Reds' most likely Opening Day starters. He's hitting .393/.514/.500 in 35 spring training plate appearances.

In all three instances, Stephenson was hitting against right-handed starters, reinforcing the notion that he's more than a platoon starter, but the Reds' primary catching option, locked in behind Joey Votto.

Nido is batting .417 (10-for-24) with a double and a homer this spring.

The Mets' backup catcher has only a .566 OPS in his big-league career, so don't expect him to maintain that level of offense once the regular season begins. Nido will likely need a James McCann injury to see significant playing time in 2022, but his spot on the roster at least seems secure for now with top prospect Francisco Alvarez still a couple years away from the majors.

Orioles general manager Mike Elias confirmed Monday that Rutschman (triceps) won't be ready for Opening Day or the start of the minor-league season, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

That being said, Rutschman is said to be making good progress in his recovery from a right triceps strain, an injury that resulted in him being shut down March 16 for an estimated 2-to-3 weeks. He's already resumed baseball activities, with Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com relaying that Rutschman has been hitting off a tee and doing some light throwing. Elias said that he expects the 24-year-old to resume participating in games in a matter of weeks, though the GM isn't certain if Rutschman will immediately report to Triple-A Norfolk or begin playing at a lower-level affiliate. Rutschman is still expected to make his MLB debut at some point in 2022, though it doesn't appear likely to happen until at least May.

Ruiz went 4-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

The young backstop busted out after a sluggish start to the spring, capping his big performance with a two-run blast off Hector Neris in the eighth inning. Ruiz is locked in as the Nationals' starting catcher after being one of the key pieces in last year's Trea Turner trade with the Dodgers, and he's coming off a season in which he slashed .310/.377/.616 with 21 homers in only 72 games between Oklahoma City and Rochester at the Triple-A level.

The Pirates signed Davis to a minor-league contract March 11.

Davis has been competing with Michael Perez for the Pirates' backup catching job behind Roberto Perez. Whether Davis or Michael Perez ultimately emerges as the No. 2 option, neither is likely to play much more than twice per week while Roberto Perez is healthy.

Stallings went 1-for-3 with an RBI in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

The veteran catcher is hitting a lackluster .235 (4-for-17) this spring, but Stallings' spot at the top of the Marlins' depth chart isn't in jeopardy. The 32-year-old's defense will keep him behind the plate most days, and he did post a career-high eight homers and 53 RBI last year for the Pirates before an offseason trade.