MLB Player News

Garver enters spring training fully healthy after he struggled with an intercostal last season that he says limited him more than he thought after video review, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. "It was probably one of the better offseasons I've had just as far as strength, mobility and being healthy coming into camp," he said.

Garver's 2020 season could hardly be more different than his 2019 breakout season. Garver went from hitting 31 home runs with a .630 SLG, to struggling with injuries, being lost at the plate, and slugging just .264. It's a good sign he's back to full strength, but his 2019 season may have been unsustainable anyway due to a 29 percent HR/FB rate. The Twins are likely to limit Garver's playing time to keep him fresh. He'll likley split playing time with Ryan Jeffers, who established himself in Garver's absence, even though both hit right-handed.

Raleigh is expected to debut this season, team president Kevin Mather said in a talk with the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club in early February that was posted to the club's official YouTube channel.

Mather's talk contained some surprisingly direct discussions of the sort of blatant service-time manipulation that teams tend not to admit to, though Raleigh's case may not involve the same sort of foul play. He didn't fully conquer Double-A during his 39 games for Arkansas in 2019, striking out 29.6 percent of the time while posting a 96 wRC+, so he'll need to prove himself in the high minors before pushing for a debut later in the year.

Mejia made it to camp Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mejia was slightly delayed getting back into the United States and then had to go through the intake process. Given that it's still well over a month until Opening Day, he should have plenty of time to get up to full speed by the time the regular season begins.

Murphy (chest) arrived at camp Sunday to go through his physical, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Murphy's start to his spring has been slightly delayed after he went through surgery in the offseason to address a collapsed lung. Assuming he passes his physical without issues, he's expected to be ready for Opening Day, although Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports manager Bob Melvin noted Sunday he doesn't expect Murphy to be ready for baseball activities "for a while."

Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said Rogers' performance behind the plate will determine his playing time more than his bat, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

"I want him to know that he will lose playing time or lose his spot on this roster more because of what he does on defense," Hinch said. "We have to continue to encourage and get the most out of him defensively. That's his No. 1 priority." Rogers struggled to a .125/.222/.259 line during his 35 games in the majors in 2019, but Hinch's comments indicate that he's looking for a strong defensive catcher as a backup to Wilson Ramos and can live with some hiccups at the plate. Rogers and Grayson Greiner figure to battle for that reserve role this spring, with Greiner the presumed early favorite as the more veteran player.

Casali revealed Saturday that he underwent hamate surgery in December, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Casali signed a major-league contract with the Giants in January, but the catcher revealed Saturday that he had surgery during the offseason. However, the 32-year-old has been playing catch and hitting without pain to begin spring training. While he could face some limitations during camp, Casali was optimistic that he'll be ready for Opening Day.

Knizner is preparing for the possibility of filling a variety of roles this coming season and has reported to spring training with a holistically impressive mindset, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports. "Kiz has really done a nice job," manager Mike Shildt said. "He's off to a good start to camp, he's in a good place physically and mentally."

The 26-year-old doesn't quite know whether he'll open the season back in the minors or as Yadier Molina's backup, but he dove into film study of late-inning game situations this offseason in an attempt to be better prepared for whatever comes his way. Knizner has also stepped up his immersion into scouting reports and has already familiarized himself with the Cardinals' first two scheduled opponents of the regular season, the Reds and Marlins. There's more talk than in previous springs of Molina operating in a legitimate timeshare behind the dish as the club prepares for an eventual future that doesn't include the 38-year-old backstop, and Knizner, with his 26 games of big-league experience and familiarity with the pitching staff, seems much more prepared to step in occasionally for Molina than offseason additions Ali Sanchez and Tyler Heineman.

Realmuto (thumb) has been able to catch and hit while wearing his cast, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The Phillies certainly didn't want to see their star catcher start camp with a broken thumb, but there appears to be a real chance he'll be ready by Opening Day. The injury may have happened early enough for him to make a full recovery, especially as it doesn't appear to be significantly holding back his preseason preparation. Whether or not the issue has any lingering effects on his ability to hit up to his usual standards early in the season is a question that probably can't be answered until games begin, however.

Murphy, who missed all of the 2020 season with a broken bone in his foot, is fully recovered but will have his workload closely monitored, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

The veteran backstop was a pleasant surprise for the Mariners back in 2019, putting up career highs in doubles (12), home runs (18), RBI (40), walks (19) and runs (32) while slashing .273/.324/.535 across 281 plate appearances. There were consequently high hopes for Murphy heading into 2020, but a fracture suffered after fouling a ball off his foot multiple times during summer camp led to the lost season. Luis Torrens (back), acquired from the Padres at last year's trade deadline, impressed over his brief time with the Mariners and is also expected to receive a solid amount of playing time behind the dish in the coming campaign.

Stallings enters the 2021 campaign as the Pirates' clear-cut starter behind the plate, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

The 31-year-old, who slashed .248/.326/.376 in 143 plate appearances last year, led the NL in innings caught (345.1) while finishing second in Gold Glove voting. Stallings' .702 OPS was slightly above the league average (.695) for catchers. He's never caught more than 700 innings in a season, but he's ready for the challenge. "My body really held up well," he said Friday. "I felt good. So I was really encouraged about that. I don't think anything will change." Newly acquired catchers Michael Perez and Tony Wolters are expected to compete for the backup job.