MLB Player News

Barnes will start roughly 60 percent of games behind the plate this season, Pedro Moura of The Athletic reports.

Russell Martin will receive a fair share of starts, but Barnes will be the clear primary option. Both had poor seasons at the plate in 2018, but Barnes was very good the year prior, hitting .289/.408/.486 in 262 plate appearances. Even at age 36, Martin is still very good for a backup, so Barnes won't have a long leash if he falls into a prolonged slump.

Mesoraco exercised the upward mobility out in his contract Wednesday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Mesoraco, who is battling with Travis d'Arnaud for the backup catching job this spring, decided to seek out other possible opportunities with his roster spot far from guaranteed in New York. The veteran backstop will be made available to any team willing to add him to its 25-man roster. If no team wants Mesoraco, the Mets will retain control over him.

Stallings left Wednesday's game against the Twins with a stiff neck, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Stalling's exit is being called precautionary, so it doesn't sound like he'll miss much time. The Pirates will hope he's able to return soon, as he'll be needed as temporary backup catcher with Elias Diaz not expected to be built up to speed by Opening Day due to a lengthy illness-related absence.

Diaz (illness) was cleared Wednesday to resume full baseball activities, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Diaz has been idle for nearly the entirety of camp with a viral infection, eliminating any chance he had of cracking the Opening Day roster. The 28-year-old looks like he's finally over the illness, but he'll still need to gradually regain strength and increase the intensity of his workouts over the next two weeks before he's cleared to resume game action. Expect him to open the season on the injured list and return around mid-to-late April, at which point he'll step in as the backup to No. 1 catcher Francisco Cervelli.

Barnes is slashing .294/.385/.559 with two home runs and 12 RBI through 34 at-bats in Cactus League play this spring.

Barnes has been locked in at the plate in spring training and looks primed for a hold onto the starting catcher role for the Dodgers to start the season. The presence of Russell Martin provides Barnes with some competition for starts, but the 29-year-old figures to get the lion's share of the work at the outset of the season given his current form at the dish and his defensive prowess. He'll look to bounce back from a rough 2018 that saw him post a .619 OPS over 200 at-bats.

Murphy has gone 6-for-26 at the plate with three home runs and six RBI during Cactus League play entering Tuesday.

Murphy possesses the most offensive upside of any of the three catchers on the 40-man roster, but the premium the Rockies place on defense at the position has prevented him from receiving much of an extended look at the big-league level. The Rockies' decision to re-sign their primary option behind the plate from 2018, Chris Iannetta, realistically leaves Murphy battling with Tony Wolters for the second catcher spot on the Opening Day roster. Wolters' skills as a defender -- particularly as a pitch framer -- are clearly valued by the Rockies, but the fact that he has a minor-league option remaining may help Murphy, who has no options left and would be exposed to waivers if he fails to make the roster.

Maldonado (calf) is starting at catcher and hitting eighth Tuesday against the Cubs.

As expected, Maldonado is back in action after missing Sunday's game with a bruised calf. The veteran remains on track to open the season as the Royals' primary catcher.

Trevino was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday.

Trevino got into his first three major-league games last year but spent the bulk of the campaign with Double-A Frisco. He earns a promotion despite hitting .234/.284/.332 in 46 games at that level.

The Tigers reassigned Sanchez to their minor-league camp Tuesday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Detroit is expected to open the season with Grayson Greiner and John Hicks as its top two catchers, so Sanchez never had much of a shot at breaking camp with the big club as a non-roster invitee. The 29-year-old will likely be bound for Triple-A Toledo once the International League gets underway in April.

Contreras (finger) is back in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mariners, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The catcher had been out since Thursday after taking a foul ball off his hand. The issue didn't appear to be a major one, and his preparation for Opening Day should be largely unaffected.