MLB Player News

Barnhart (undisclosed) was scratched from Monday's game against the Mariners, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

It's unclear why Barnhart was removed from Monday's lineup at the moment. Chris Okey took his place behind the dish.

Garver started at catcher and went 1-for-3 in Sunday's spring training loss to Boston.

Garver missed time in September due to a concussion, but he looks healthy as spring begins. He'll likely occupy the lesser side of a platoon with Jason Castro, which would help boost his batting average, if not his counting stats. Garver could also be the primary catcher early in the year if Castro is slow to return from knee surgery.

Casali (hip) is unlikely to play in spring training games until mid-March, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The party line from the Reds is that they still expect him to be ready for the start of the season, but will two weeks of game action be enough to get his timing down? The Reds can afford to be patient with Casali's return, having traded for Kyle Farmer and selecting Connor Joe in the Rule 5 draft.

D'Arnaud (surgery) still isn't ready to make his spring training debut, although he is healthy enough to play, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

D'Arnaud is coming off Tommy John surgery, and although the Mets are confident he's healthy enough to play in spring training games, they'll limit him to reps in the back fields for now as a precaution. It's unclear as to when he may take the field with the big-league club, but manager Mickey Callaway stated he wants to see d'Arnaud go through more simulated drills before reintroducing him to game action.

Gomes (illness) will start at catcher and bat sixth Saturday in the Nationals' Grapefruit League opener versus the Astros, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Gomes missed some time this week while battling an illness, but it wasn't anything that was ever believed to be serious. After coming over from the Indians via trade in November, Gomes is expected to be deployed in a timeshare behind the plate with Kurt Suzuki this season.

Manager Ned Yost said Saturday that Perez will be eased into spring action and may be used primarily as a designated hitter for the first couple of weeks before receiving starts at catcher, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Since hitting the majors in 2011, Perez has consistently shouldered one of the heavier workloads among all catchers, so it makes sense for the Royals to limit his reps behind the dish in mostly meaningless exhibition contests. Perez will still be able to get plenty of at-bats during Cactus League play as a DH and shouldn't have trouble settling into a rhythm at the plate once Opening Day arrives.

Gomes was absent from Thursday's workouts due to an illness, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

This is unfortunate to hear, but it doesn't seem like it will be of any long-term concern. Gomes is still expected to catch the team's Grapefruit League opener Saturday, barring any unexpected lingering effects from this issue.

Diaz did not practice Wednesday due to illness, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

There haven't been any suggestions that Diaz will miss significant time, so his status for Opening Day shouldn't be threatened. He's expected to back up Francisco Cervelli again this season.

Stassi believes he found the root cause of his offensive fade over the second half of 2018, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Stassi was a surprise contributor in 2018, when he opened with nine extra-base hits over his first 74 plate appearances on his way to a .787 OPS in the first half. Opposing pitchers adjusted and Stassi faded to a .485 OPS after the All-Star break, forcing the Astros to add Martin Maldonado and move Stassi to third on the depth chart. The problem, according to Stassi, is that he'd "come out" of his legs in his batting stance and, therefore, was unable to cover all parts of the strike zone. The 27-year-old returns in 2019 as the primary backup to Robinson Chirinos and must discover a way to sustain offense for the full season.

Manager Dave Martinez said he plans to split catching duties between Gomes and Kurt Suzuki, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Gomes was traded from the Indians to the Nationals in late November, shortly after the team signed Suzuki. Gomes slashed .266/.313/.449 with 16 home runs in 435 plate appearances last season, but Suzuki has been similarly impressive at the plate over the last two seasons. Gomes should still come out ahead in terms of playing time due to his age and superior defense, but it appears as though he won't begin the season in a traditional everyday role.