MLB Player News

Perez (not injury related) is batting sixth and playing catcher in Saturday's spring game against Seattle, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Perez's arrival at camp was delayed by visa issues, but he'll make his spring debut behind the dish Saturday. He should be in line for a solid allotment of reps during spring training going forward.

Manager Tony La Russa said Grandal (knee) is swinging in the batting cage Friday but won't see game action this weekend, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

The 32-year-old twisted his right knee during drills last week and has yet to see game action this spring while dealing with the resulting inflammation. The injury doesn't appear to be a serious concern, but it's worth keeping an eye on Grandal's status as spring training progresses. Injury issues to open the season for a catcher in his 30s could be problematic for the White Sox, especially following the offseason departure of a starting-caliber backup in James McCann.

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.

Stassi (hip) will bat eighth as the designated hitter Friday against Oakland, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Stassi has been slightly delayed to start camp after undergoing hip surgery in October. He's been participating in full workouts, however, and he should be ready to catch soon assuming he gets through Friday's at-bats without setbacks.

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.

Stassi (hip) is participating in full workouts and could get into a Cactus League game soon, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Stassi is still recovering from the hip surgery he underwent following the 2020 season, but he appears close to ready to returning to game action. As long as his debut isn't delayed much longer, the 29-year-old should have adequate time to gear up for Opening Day. Stassi is expected to serve as the Angels' primary catcher in 2021.

Mejia, who went 1-for-2 with a double in Tuesday's Grapefruit League loss to the Red Sox, has pleased the Rays coaching staff with his progress early in spring training, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports. "We're excited, thrilled with where he's at," manager Kevin Cash said. "We've got to make sure that we can continue getting him around the pitchers, having conversations and learning the little things that are so important that [pitching coach Kyle Snyder and bullpen coach Stan Boroski] value as far as the simple messages."

Mejia is one of the more intriguing prospects to watch in spring camp, considering he was once considered on the fast track to stardom with the Padres organization. The 25-year-old is experiencing a reset of sorts in Tampa Bay after arriving in the Blake Snell trade, and the Rays are intent on grooming him as the switch-hitting complement to starting catcher Mike Zunino, who's only under contract through the end of the 2021 season. Cash notes Mejia has been kept busy getting familiarized with the pitching staff by catching plenty of bullpen and live batting practice sessions, and the Rays skipper adds he plans to single out certain pitchers and frequent 2021 opponents in deciding when to get Mejia game action during the balance of the Grapefruit League schedule.

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.

Murphy (chest) has resumed hitting and catching, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Murphy has been slowed to begin spring training following a pair of offseason surgeries to address a collapsed lung. While manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday that Murphy still isn't ready for game action, the catcher has been progressing well in his recovery so far. The 26-year-old has said that he expects to be ready to play in time for Opening Day.