MLB Player News

Stephenson (thumb) successfully made it through instructional league games in Arizona without aggravating his thumb injury and will move up to High-A Daytona to start 2018, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.

Stephenson was able to avoid surgery on his thumb after seeking and receiving a second opinion on the injury. He has played only 119 games the last two seasons due to multiple injuries.

Thaiss was invited to attend spring training as a non-roster invitee, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Thaiss started the 2017 season at High-A Inland Empire, where he played 84 games before earning a promotion to Double-A Mobile. He impressed with Mobile, where he posted an outstanding .412 on-base percentage over 49 games. Between the two levels, the 22-year-old combined to slash .274/.375/.395.

Moore signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on Saturday which includes an invitation to spring training, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports.

Moore will serve as organizational depth at the catching position for the Rays, although he will likely spend most of the season at the Triple-A level barring an injury. In 2017, he played in 76 games for Triple-A Columbus within the Indians' system, slashing .238/.313/.369 with eight home runs and 33 RBI. Moore has appeared in just 30 major-league games over the last seven seasons.

Realmuto will make $2.9 million in 2018 after losing his arbitration case, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

Realmuto proposed a figure of $3.5 million. The catcher is set for his fourth season as the primary catcher for Miami, and although he didn't maintain his batting average from 2016, he did end up with better slugging numbers last season. In total, he compiled a slash line of .278/.332/.451 with 17 home runs and 65 RBI in 141 games, while also sprinkling in eight stolen bases. He should have solid value heading into this upcoming season, although his RBI numbers may come down a tad given the state of the club's current roster.

Rogers has been invited to the Tigers' major-league camp this spring.

Rogers, who was one of three prospects the Tigers received in exchange for Justin Verlander last August, spent most of the 2017 campaign at High-A, slashing a combined .263/.355/.450 with 12 homers and 13 stolen bases in 85 games with Buies Creek (Astros) and Lakeland (Tigers). He'll likely report to High-A or Double-A to open the 2018 season.

Smith has been invited to the Dodgers' major-league camp this spring, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Smith will join fellow catching prospect Keibert Ruiz at big-league camp, though both backstops are expected to open the 2018 campaign in the minors given the trio of catchers already on the Dodgers' 40-man roster. The 22-year-old spent most of his season with High-A Rancho Cucamonga, hitting .232/.355/.448 with 11 homers in 72 games before earning a promotion to Double-A Tulsa. He appeared in just one game for the Drillers, as he was hit by a pitch on the hand and forced to miss the remainder of the season. Smith should return to Tulsa to start the season.

Ruiz has been invited to the Dodgers' major-league camp this spring, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Ruiz earned himself an invitation to major-league spring training with a stellar 2017 -- he was the club's minor-league player of the year. The switch-hitting backstop, who is just 19 years old, excelled in A-ball last season, hitting .317/.372/.423 in 63 games with Low-A Great Lakes while posting an equally impressive .315/.344/.497 line in 38 games with High-A Rancho Cucamonga. Ruiz, who is touted as one of the best catching prospects in the game, will likely spend most of 2018 between High-A and Double-A Tulsa

Collins worked on fixing a hitch in his swing over the winter, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Collins had some areas of development in 2017, getting on base at a .370 clip and hitting 19 home runs at High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham, but some of his prospect sheen took a hit under the weight of a .224 batting average and 129 strikeouts (27.3 percent K%). As reported last October by Josh Norris of Baseball America, an area of focus for Collins during the Fall Instructional League was his body position and posture as a hitter. The goal was to make his swing less busy and get him in position to hit the ball quicker. The White Sox feel the 2016 first-round pick came along defensively, particularly in controlling the running game. However, they acknowledge areas of improvement, in terms of blocking balls and game calling. The organization can take its time with the soon-to-be 23-year-old catcher after inking Welington Castillo to a two-year deal this offseason. Improving the hit tool and making the necessary strides as a backstop will improve his prospect profile.

Monell signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports.

Monell is looking to make it back to the majors after spending 2017 with the KT Wiz of the Korean Baseball Organization. The 31-year-old backstop hit just .165/.395/.282 in 28 games for the Wiz, so he likely won't be viewed as anything more than an organizational depth piece in 2018.

Collins has been invited to the White Sox's major-league camp this spring, James Fegan of The Athletic Chicago reports.

Collins will join a long list of White Sox prospects headed to big-league camp this spring. The soon-to-be 23-year-old spent most of the 2017 season with High-A Winston-Salem, compiling a .223/.365/.443 slash-line and 17 homers in 101 games before earning a promotion to Double-A Birmingham. The backstop has flashed some serious power in his two years of pro ball, but that has also come with some contact issues (.229 average, 28.8 percent strikeout rate). With Welington Castillo inked to a two-year deal, Collins will have some time in the minors to correct his issues before the White Sox look to him for an everyday role.