MLB Player News

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.

Kirk could serve as the Blue Jays' backup catcher this season, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Kirk jumped straight from High-A to the majors last season and hit an impressive .375/.400/.583, though that came in just 25 trips to the plate. There's a case to be made that he's already Toronto's top offensive backstop, but Danny Jansen is a better defender and is expected to open the season as the starter. The question for Toronto is whether or not Kirk should play on a regular basis in the minors to continue his development or appear more infrequently at the big-league level. The Blue Jays want him to be able to handle a starting workload eventually, and he's never played more than 92 games in a season in the minors, but they also appear to be looking to win now, and Kirk would likely help more than Reese McGuire in that regard.

Thaiss will get work at first base, third base and the corner outfield during spring training, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Thaiss played in only eight games for the Angels last season but saw time at four different defensive positions (first base, second base, third base and left field). He doesn't have a clear path to playing time in 2021, so his ability to garner at-bats will likely be tied to his versatility. Thaiss has posted a .202 average and 60 strikeouts in 189 career plate appearances.

Ruiz has not reported to spring training due to a visa issue, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Ruiz made his debut in the big leagues for a brief time in 2020, logging eight plate appearances. He'll face an uphill battle to make the opening day roster for the 2021 season with both Will Smith and Austin Barnes ahead of him on the catching depth chart. There is no timeline for Ruiz's arrival to the team's facility.

Manager Joe Girardi revealed Thursday that Realmuto recently suffered a fractured right thumb, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto's thumb will be immobilized for two weeks, and he'll be re-evaluated after that time. While the catcher will miss several spring games due to the injury, the Phillies are still hopeful that he'll be ready for Opening Day. Andrew Knapp, Rafael Marchan and Jeff Mathis should compete for the backup catcher job while Realmuto is sidelined.

Stassi (hip) is ramping up slowly to begin camp but is expected to be ready for Opening Day, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Stassi underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip in October. Once he's fully ready to go, he'll split time in some capacity with Kurt Suzuki. Exactly how the time will be split remains to be seen. Stassi hit an excellent .278/.352/.533 in 105 plate appearances last year, but he came nowhere close to that in 486 trips to the plate prior to 2020, hitting just .204/.285/.326.

Mejia was delayed getting into the country but should be able to join team workouts on Tuesday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Similar logistical delays may pop up for a few players around the league given the difficulties of starting the season during a global pandemic. Mejia's teammate Diego Castillo's arrival has been delayed for the same reason. Both players won't be able to join their teammates until completing a mandatory quarantine, but they should have plenty of time to prepare for the start of the regular season, barring further delays.

Campusano has reported to Padres camp and the team is said to "feel good" about his legal situation, Darnay Tripp of NBC San Diego reports.

Campusano was charged with felony marijuana possession in Georgia last October, casting a cloud over his status for the 2021 campaign. However, the catcher's presence in camp suggests that San Diego expects him to be able to compete this season. Nonetheless, his path to an Opening Day roster spot is clouded by the presence of Austin Nola and Victor Caratini ahead of him on the depth chart.

Athletics manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday that Murphy will be delayed to begin spring training after the catcher required offseason surgery to address a collapsed lung, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Though Murphy won't be in attendance for the start of workouts, Melvin said he still expects the 26-year-old to be ready to go for Opening Day. Assuming Murphy endures no setbacks in his recovery from surgery, he could take on an even heavier workload behind the dish in 2021 after the Athletics traded his top backup, Jonah Heim, to the Rangers over the winter. Murphy finished with a subpar .233 average in 140 plate appearances in 2020, but he showed above-average power (seven home runs, five doubles) and drew walks at a 17.1 percent rate.

Contreras heads into spring training with a chance to win the No. 2 catching job for Atlanta, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

At the moment, starter Travis d'Arnaud is the only catcher with significant experience on the roster, leaving prospects Contreras and Alex Jackson to fight for the backup spot. The 23-year-old Contreras made his big-league debut last year on an emergency basis, going 4-for-10 with four strikeouts before spending the rest of the season at the team's alternate training site. His 2019 performance at the plate at High-A and Double-A wasn't particularly impressive, but Contreras still has the potential to emerge as a solid big-league asset. Atlanta could still elect to bring in a veteran such as Tyler Flowers to fill out the depth chart, but barring an outside addition, Jackson might be the front-runner for the job, if only because Contreras is more likely to be a long-term piece for the team and could use more minor-league development.