MLB Player News

Bemboom was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.

Bemboom got a shot to compete for the backup catcher spot behind Jason Castro this spring, but he did not do enough to make the cut, putting up just a .690 OPS over 18 plate appearances. With Bemboom opening the season in the minors, Max Stassi is now on track to open the regular season as the Angels' No. 2 option behind the plate.

The Reds optioned Stephenson to Triple-A Louisville on Sunday.

Cincinnati's top catching prospect wasn't a serious threat to crack the Opening Day roster with all of Tucker Barnhart, Curt Casali and Kyle Farmer ahead of him in the organizational pecking order. The 2015 first-round pick will likely spend the majority of the season at Louisville honing his receiving skills, but Stephenson could get a look in the majors at some point if the Reds are eager to phase out Barnhart in favor of a higher-upside offensive option behind the dish.

Jackson was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

While the move currently doesn't matter much with both the MLB and MiLB seasons suspended, it does confirm that Jackson will begin the regular season in the minors whenever play does resume. The 24-year-old did slug 28 homers in 85 games for Gwinnett last year, but his hit tool and defense behind the plate both remain a work in progress.

McCann is expected to make the Opening Day roster, Scott Gregor of the Chicago Daily Herald reports. He's batting .250 (5-for-20) with a double, a triple and three RBI over eight spring contests.

McCann was a surprise in 2019 when he achieved career highs in all the major offensive categories. As Welington Castillo struggled through injuries, McCann took over the starting job and thrived as the primary starter. A strong first half earned him an All-Star selection, before McCann fell off over the second half. The White Sox added Yasmani Grandal to the equation, so McCann will drop down the backup and mentor to prospect Zack Collins, who could make the team as the third catcher and 26th man.

Nido has gone 2-for-16 (.125) with a 1:6 BB:K to begin the spring.

The 25-year-old came into camp the favorite to win the No. 2 catching job behind Wilson Ramos, and while Nido hasn't done anything to distinguish himself at the plate, his main competition Rene Rivera hasn't made a big impact either. Expect the battle to be won by whichever receiver the pitching staff prefers working with rather than the offensive contribution they can make.

Barrera has gone 1-for-7 with a strikeout to begin the spring.

The fact that the 25-year-old didn't get much playing time even when Welington Castillo was sidelined in camp with a sore shoulder indicates where Barrera sits on the depth chart for the Nats at catcher. He got his first cup of coffee last year in the majors and posted a .704 OPS through 101 games for Double-A Harrisburg, but Barrera will likely need multiple injuries behind the plate to return to the big-league roster in 2020.

Vazquez is batting .167/.286/.278 over 10 Grapefruit League games.

Vazquez exploded for 23 home runs and a career-best .797 OPS in 2019, but the underlying advanced metrics don't indicate much difference than 2018, when he had three homers and a .540 OPS. There's reason to believe Vazquez will regress in 2020, but he's locked down the starting catcher job based on his defensive reputation. If the bat eventually becomes unplayable, the winner of the Kevin Plawecki/Jonathan Lucroy battle to be Vazquez's backup could get an increase in playing time.

General manager Brian Cashman said Friday that Sanchez has "improved" since being diagnosed with the flu Tuesday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez was hampered by lower-back tightness early in spring training and was later diagnosed with the flu Tuesday. Although all spring training activities have been suspended for the foreseeable future, Sanchez's improved physical state could allow him to ramp up baseball activities in the coming days, wherever he may decide to do so. Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported earlier Friday that the majority of Yankees players plan on continuing informal workouts at the team's Tampa facility, so Sanchez could decide to do the same when he feels healthy enough.

The Reds will continue to hold voluntary workouts at their spring training facility in Goodyear, Arizona, while spring training is suspended, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. Barnhart, the Reds MLBPA representative, is among the Reds that will remain in Arizona for the short term.

Barnhart's wife is pregnant, so she and their young son have already gone home. "I will remain here until I'm told or given a little bit more information or clear vision on what the schedule looks like," Barnhart said. "I think after that, for me personally, I will probably go home and spend time with my family as much as possible and help take care of them as much as possible."

Wynns (groin) will catch and bat eighth Thursday in the Orioles' Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Since being scratched from the lineup ahead of a March 4 game against the Marlins with a sore groin, Wynns has proceeded to appear in four spring contests, all as a reserve. The fact that he's now been cleared to start behind the dish suggests he's in sound health and shouldn't be hampered by injury in his bid for the Orioles' No. 2 catching job.