MLB Player News

Collins went 3-for-5 with two home runs and a triple in a 12-11 win over Triple-A Durham on Thursday.

Collins had a .786 OPS with 15 home runs for Double-A Birmingham last year, which prompted his promotion to start the year. Offense hasn't been an issue for the 24-year-old, who has moved slowly through the minors primarily to improve his defense. Along with his impressive performance at the plate Thursday, he also surrendered one passed ball and one stolen base. Unless Collins can sustain a torrid pace at the plate or the White Sox overlook his defensive woes, he should remain the everyday catcher in Triple-A Charlotte.

Mejia is catching and hitting eighth for San Diego against the Cardinals on Friday.

Mejia will slot in for Austin Hedges against St. Louis, the third start of the year for the 23-year-old backstop. He went 2-for-4 in his last start on Tuesday and is 3-for-9 with a double and an RBI to start the season.

Barnes is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Barnes will yield catching duties to Russell Martin once again as the pair has split playing time fairly evenly so far this year. Barnes is off to a strong start in 2019 as he is 6-for-15 with one double and two home runs.

Hedges is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.

Hedges has started five of seven games behind the plate entering Friday and is 4-for-13 with two walks and one RBI. Francisco Mejia receives the starting nod Friday for the Padres in his absence.

Bart is opening the year with High-A San Jose, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

The No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft demolished short-season pitching after signing, but this will be a much fairer test for the 22-year-old backstop. He will probably rake again in the California League, and his defense is good enough that it won't slow his ascent up the minor-league ranks.

Sanchez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in the Yankees' 8-4 win over the Orioles on Thursday.

The backstop went yard off Alex Cobb in the sixth inning, his third long ball in six games to start the season. Sanchez is hitting just .217 through 23 at-bats, but the three homers and .609 slugging percentage are encouraging signs that he will provide solid power numbers this season, even if he's not hitting for a high average.

Pindea will open the year with Low-A Hagerstown, Mike Rosenbaum of MLB.com reports.

One of the top catching prospects who has yet to make his full-season debut, Pineda could be primed for a breakout year. He just turned 19, but hit .273/.341/.388 (118 wRC+) with four home runs last year in short-season ball, so he is much more advanced at the plate than most of his peers at the position.

Naylor will open the year with Low-A Lake County, MLB.com reports.

This isn't necessarily surprising, but it represents a vote of confidence from the Indians, as prep catching prospects are often promoted pretty slowly through the minors. Naylor hit .274/.381/.402 (126 wRC+) with two home runs and five steals in 33 games in the AZL last year. He should get most of his starts at catcher, but will likely continue to get the occassional start at third base.

Herrera will open the year with Low-A Peoria, Mike Rosenbaum of MLB.com reports.

Herrera is one of the better catching prospects in the lower levels of the minors, and he will be given an aggressive assignment to Low-A as an 18-year-old. He hit .348/.423/.500 with a 15.4 percent strikeout rate in 28 games in the Gulf Coast League last year, but it would not be surprising if he struggled, at least initially, against Low-A pitching.

Stephenson has been assigned to Double-A Pensacola to begin the 2019 season.

Stephenson was the Reds' first-round pick in 2015 and has battled a slew of injuries in his professional career. He was able to make through most of 2018 unscathed, however, hitting .250/.338/.392 in 109 games at High-A Daytona.