MLB Player News

Jackson 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 Jackson and William Contreras to fight for the backup spot. Jackson is two years older and has shown an impressive power stroke in the minors, launching 28 homers in 85 games for Triple-A Gwinnett in 2019, but he's had significant issues making contact and has struck out in nine of his 22 career big-league PAs. 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.

Plawecki was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

While it's not clear whether Plawecki has tested positive for COVID-19, he'll begin spring training on the injured list with pitchers and catchers reporting Wednesday. The 29-year-old returned to the Red Sox on a one-year deal in early December and should serve as Christian Vazquez's backup once he's available.

Rogers and Grayson Greiner will likely compete this spring to serve as the backup catcher in Detroit behind new addition Wilson Ramos, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The Tigers signed Ramos to a one-year deal in January, and although the veteran had a down 2020 campaign, he is set to serve as the top backstop in Detroit. That leaves Rogers to battle with Greiner, unless the team opts to carry three catchers, which seems unlikely at this point. Rogers didn't make an appearance for the Tigers last year, but he did play in 35 games in 2019, slashing .125/.222/.259 with four home runs.

Langeliers was invited to big-league camp Monday.

Langeliers will get the chance to catch Atlanta's big-league arms for a few weeks, though he probably won't be joining them on a permanent basis this year. The 2019 ninth-overall pick played 54 games at the Low-A level that season but was prevented from advancing up the ladder last year due to the canceled minor-league campaign.

Barnes agreed to a two-year, $4.3 million contract with the Dodgers on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Barnes will avoid arbitration with the Dodgers by reaching a two-year deal with the team ahead of spring training. The 31-year-old should serve in a reserve role behind the plate once again in 2021 after slashing .244/.353/.314 with one home run and nine RBI over 86 at-bats last season.

Collins will be challenged for the backup catching job with the addition of Jonathan Lucroy, Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald reports.

With the White Sox building toward a deeper playoff run, manager Tony La Russa may prefer the veteran Lucroy over Collins, who has yet to establish himself behind the plate. He may still be part of the 26-man roster as a third catcher and DH if prospect Andrew Vaughn opens the season in the minors.

Rutschman has been invited to the Orioles' big-league camp.

Rutschman probably won't receive serious consideration for an Opening Day roster spot, as he's played just 37 career professional games. His debut may not be too far off, however, as he's one of the best catching prospects in years and is already quite advanced. He was reportedly under consideration for a debut last season if the Orioles managed to stick in the playoff race. Exactly when Rutschman might make his debut this year remains unclear.

Bailey received an invitation Friday to the Giants' major-league spring training.

The 13th overall pick in the 2020 first-year player draft, Bailey will be in big-league camp during his first spring training as a professional. He has yet to make a game appearance due to the cancellation of the minor-league season last year, but he was added to San Francisco's 60-man player pool and worked at the alternate training site.

Heim was sent from Texas to Oakland along with Khris Davis and Dane Acker on Saturday in a trade which sent Elvis Andrus, Aramis Garcia and cash considerations the other way, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Heim made a brief MLB debut last season, hitting .211/.268/.211 in 13 games. He may not project as anything close to a star, but he has a good chance to be a useful enough piece for the Rangers, as he hit a strong .310/.385/.477 in 85 games across the two highest levels of the minors in 2019. He'll be competing for a roster spot with Jose Trevino, Sam Huff and Drew Butera in camp.

Realmuto feels 100 percent after recovering from the hip flexor strain he battled late in the season, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

Realmuto missed 11 games with the issue in mid-September and spent time at first base and designated hitter after his return. Despite the fact that he was able to return before the end of the regular season, he indicated Monday that he didn't feel fully healthy until three or four weeks into the offseason. Now fully healed, the issue doesn't appear to be a significant cause for concern for the star catcher heading into his age-30 season.