MLB Player News

The Giants optioned Tromp to their minor-league camp Monday.

Tromp and fellow catcher Joey Bart were both part of Monday's roster cuts, as the Giants appear set to go with Buster Posey and Curt Casali as their two backstops for Opening Day. If Bart and Tromp are both assigned to Triple-A Sacramento, Tromp would likely serve as the No. 2 option behind Bart, who is being groomed as Posey's long-term replacement.

The Giants optioned Bart to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday.

Due to the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league campaign along with Buster Posey's decision to opt out, Bart received his first taste of the big leagues last season, despite having only 22 games' worth of experience above the High-A level. The 24-year-old put together a few quality games to begin his major-league career, but he slumped badly in September to finish with a .233/.288/.320 slash line and 36.9 K% over 111 plate appearances. With Posey back in the fold, Bart will get some more development time in the minors to begin 2021, but he'll likely get another trial with the Giants at some point during the season.

Murphy (hip) will return to the lineup Monday against Arizona, batting fourth and serving as the designated hitter.

Murphy was scratched Sunday with what was later revealed to be a hip issue. While it may take a few more days for him to get back behind the plate, his readiness for Opening Day doesn't appear to be threatened.

Campusano would be in line to make the Padres' Opening Day roster if Austin Nola (finger) isn't ready by Opening Day, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Nola fractured the middle finger on his left (non-throwing) hand Saturday, casting doubt upon his ability to play when the regular season kicks off. If Nola is unable to go, Victor Caratini would likely open the season as the Padres' primary catcher, with Campusano filling in as the backup. The 22-year-old has enjoyed a strong spring, slashing .313/.421/.438 with a pair of doubles. He has struck out only three times in 16 at-bats.

Garver went 2-for-3 in Sunday's spring training win over Boston. He's hitting .364 (4-for-11) with a home run this spring.

After last year's injury-plagued season (intercostal strain), Garver has looked back in form at the plate this season showing his 2019 power. He had a 109.6 mph average exit velocity Sunday, according to Baseball Savant, for example. Garver went from hitting 31 home runs with a .630 SLG in 2019, to struggling with injuries, being lost at the plate, and slugging just .264 in 2020. The Twins are likely to limit Garver's playing time to keep him fresh. He'll likely split playing time with Ryan Jeffers, even though both hit right-handed.

Stallings went 1-for-3 with a solo homer in Sunday's loss to the Phillies.

Stallings, who's set to serve as the team's starting catcher, is batting .333 in 12 spring at-bats. Better known for his defense, the 31-year-old holds a career .262 batting average in 382 at-bats in the big leagues.

Murphy was scratched from Sunday's spring game against the Brewers, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

No injury has been announced, so it's unclear if it's just a late lineup change of if the 29-year-old is dealing with some sort of issue. Luis Torrens will start in his place and will benefit should Murphy be forced to miss any real time.

Padres manager Jayce Tingler said Sunday that Nola has been diagnosed with a fractured middle finger on his left hand, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Nola picked up the injury when he took a foul ball off his (left) glove hand Saturday. While the 31-year-old will likely be in line for a shorter absence than he would have if the injury had been to his throwing hand, the fractured finger could still hamper him enough defensively to result in him being shut down. Nola will receive treatment for the next couple of days before the Padres outline a timeline for his return to game action. His status for Opening Day would appear to be up in the air for the time being.

Nido (foot) is in catcher's gear and caught a pregame warmup for Sunday's scrimmage, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

The 26-year-old was already cleared to hit after after fouling a ball off his left foot a few days ago, and it appears he's nearing a return to game action behind the plate. The injury appears to be a minor concern, so Nido's availability for Opening Day shouldn't be affected.

Kirk picked up two more hits in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, including a single that left his bat with an exit velocity of 110.3 mph, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The young catcher is 5-for-10 to begin the spring with a home run and a 1:1 BB:K. On talent alone, Kirk would be considered the favorite to win the No. 2 catcher job behind Danny Jansen to begin the season, but complicating the picture for the Jays is that Reese McGuire is out of minor-league options. As a result, Kirk could begin the season at Triple-A regardless of how he looks this spring if the organization doesn't want to risk losing McGuire on waivers.