MLB Player News

Stubbs (COVID-19 health and safety protocols) was informed Monday that he wouldn't be included on the Astros' Opening Day roster, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Stubbs recently began a quarantine period away from the team due to contact-tracing concerns, but that likely didn't play a factor in him missing out on the Opening Day roster. Instead, Martin Maldonado and Jason Castro had been locked in all spring as the Astros' top two catchers, leaving no room for Stubbs. Once he clears all COVID-19 protocols, Stubbs will report to the Astros' alternate site before likely heading to Triple-A Sugar Land when the minor-league season begins in May.

Nola (finger) will open the season on the injured list, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Nola didn't appear to have time to fully recover from his fractured middle finger by Opening Day, and that's now been confirmed by the Padres. He's not expected to miss much time, though, as he's been ramping up his activity in recent days. He remains an interesting catching option in most formats after emerging as a late bloomer to hit .271/.347/.461 over the last two years, but those who draft him will have to dedicate a roster spot to another backstop for the first week or two of the season.

Garver (hand) will start at catcher and will bat second in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

Garver will rejoin the lineup for the Twins' penultimate spring game after a bruised left hand kept him out of action for three days. The 30-year-old looks set to begin the season as Minnesota's No. 1 catcher, though Ryan Jeffers could push for more work if Garver's 2020 offensive struggles carry over into the new season.

The Cardinals reassigned Heineman on Sunday.

As anticipated, the Cardinals will begin the season with Andrew Knizner as their No. 2 catcher behind Yadier Molina, leaving no room for Heineman on the 26-man roster. Heineman served as the Giants' Opening Day catcher last season, but he was cast off the 40-man roster in November after slashing .190/.292/.214 across his 50 plate appearances during the abbreviated 60-game campaign.

Kirk was informed Sunday that he would be part of the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

After mashing over his nine games with the Blue Jays as a rookie late in the 2020 season, Kirk hasn't cooled off so far this spring, posting a .917 OPS in 24 at-bats. While Danny Jansen's superior defense should keep him locked in as the Blue Jays' top catcher to begin 2021, Toronto likely wouldn't have carried the 22-year-old Kirk on the Opening Day roster if he wasn't in line for a fair share of at-bats. It's reasonable to expect a 60-40 percent split of the playing time at catcher between Jansen and Kirk, with the latter perhaps occasionally factoring into the mix at designated hitter as well. That should be enough to make Kirk a draftable option in AL-only leagues and deeper mixed leagues that start two catchers.

Contreras was informed Saturday that he won't be included on Atlanta's Opening Day roster, with the club instead keeping Alex Jackson as the backup catcher behind Travis d'Arnaud, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Contreras (1.089 OPS over 18 at-bats in Grapefruit League play) handily outperformed Jackson (.512 OPS in 28 at-bats), but Atlanta prefers the 23-year-old to play on an everyday basis at Triple-A Gwinnett rather than just once or twice a week behind d'Arnaud. If the historically injury-prone d'Arnaud should miss time at any point, however, Contreras could immediately leapfrog Jackson on the depth chart if Atlanta calls him up.

The Phillies released Bethancourt on Sunday.

Bethancourt wasn't on track to beat out Andrew Knapp for the No. 2 catcher job on the Phillies' Opening Day roster, and he presumably wasn't interested in sticking around at the organization's minor-league camp. As a result, Bethancourt will now be given the opportunity to explore his options elsewhere. The 29-year-old last appeared in the big leagues in 2017 as a member of the Padres.

The Phillies optioned Marchan (hamstring) to their minor-league camp Sunday.

Marchan missed most of spring training with a hamstring injury, but he was at least able to make his return to game action Friday against the Blue Jays, going 0-for-2 while serving as the backup catcher behind J.T. Realmuto. Though the hamstring issue seems to be behind him, Marchan's absence from most of camp was enough to prevent him from making a serious run at unseating Andrew Knapp for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. Expect Marchan to begin the 2021 season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Manager Alex Cora said Sunday that Vazquez (eye) has "a really good chance" of being ready for Opening Day, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez is back with the team after recently leaving camp to tend to a personal matter, but he's still in the process of recovering from the left eye contusion and laceration he suffered last week. He appears to have made good progress on that front, with Cora indicating that Vazquez could be ready to appear in a "B' game Monday. If that's the case, Vazquez would likely be on track to catch Nathan Eovaldi in the April 1 season opener versus Baltimore.

Manager Dusty Baker said Sunday that Stubbs will remain away from the team for at least one or two days while waiting to clear COVID-19 health and safety protocols, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

After being hit in the head by a pitch in a March 22 game, Stubbs was held out of the lineup for two days before returning to action in a reserve capacity Thursday. While he looks to be in the clear for the start of the season from an injury standpoint, his entry into the health and safety protocol suddenly makes his status for Opening Day murkier. As the clear No. 3 catcher on the depth chart behind Martin Maldonado and Jason Castro, Stubbs won't see much work even if Houston elects to carry him on its 26-man active roster to begin the season.