MLB Player News

Sanchez was unconditionally released by the Pirates on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Tribune's Rob Biertempfel reports.

He was designated for assignment last week, and will likely seek a minor league deal with an invite to spring training with another club. Sanchez doesn't offer much in terms of offense, so he can be largely ignored in most fantasy formats.

Sanchez was designated for assignment on Wednesday.

Sanchez was the fourth overall pick in the 2009 draft, but things just haven't worked out for him at the big league level. Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart were firmly ahead of him on the organizational depth chart, and the Pirates presumably prefer Elias Diaz to Sanchez as well. The career .259/.303/.378 hitter could catch on as a depth piece with another organization, but he will likely spend most of 2016 at Triple-A.

Lino has received an invitation to Phillies spring training.

Lino hasn't improved enough offensively since breaking into the minors in 2011 to earn a big league roster spot, but his strong arm behind the plate keeps him in consideration. It seems highly improbably that the 22-year-old will land in the majors, but perhaps the small taste of it during spring training will provide a jump-start to his season.

Monell was designated for assignment by the Mets on Friday.

He was a distant third on the depth chart behind Travis d'Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki. The Mets, having re-signed Bartolo Colon to a one-year deal, decided to bump Monell and will now risk losing him to waivers. Monell has done little with his major-league opportunities thus far, but he has hit .279/.356/.455 in parts of four seasons at Triple-A, making him a serviceable depth piece for an organization.

Sanchez (ankle) signed with the White Sox on Monday, Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reports.

With the offseason acquisitions of fellow catchers Dioner Navarro and Alex Avila, it's unclear where Sanchez will fit into the mix. He split time between the majors and minors last season, and could be reduced to a similar role with his new club.

Bethancourt (knee) was traded to the Padres on Thursday in exchange for Casey Kelly and Ricardo Rodriguez, MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old has done little with the bat in 80 games at the major-league level, slashing .219/.245/.283 while walking at a 2.9 percent clip. However, Bethancourt's athleticism and exceptional arm should afford him plenty of opportunities down the line, though there is not a clear path to a 2016 role with Derek Norris, Austin Hedges and Josmil Pinto all in San Diego.

Mesoraco (hip) said Friday that he is "feeling great" and expects to report to spring training as normal, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Hip issues derailed Mesoraco's 2015 season early on, and after a failed attempt to acclimate him to left field, the Reds sent the 27-year-old for surgery. Mesoraco was cleared to resume squatting about a month ago, and he said Friday that he's had no problems getting in and out of the catching position. He will start adding more drills to his routine early next month.

Thole re-signed with the Blue Jays on a one-year, $800,000 deal Friday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports.

Thole had just been non-tendered by the Blue Jays on Thursday, but he's coming back to the team after being a free agent for just a day. The 29-year-old had a disappointing campaign last season, hitting just .204/.250/.245, but he should get the chance to earn the backup role behind Russell Martin out of spring training.

Thole was not tendered a contract for the 2016 season.

After a frustrating 2015 season for Thole in which he rode the shuttle between the minors and the majors, the catcher will not be brought back by the Blue Jays. The 29-year-old will become a free agent in 2016, and he won't be anything more than a backup catcher wherever he ends up.

The Giants declined to tender Sanchez (ankle) a contract for 2016, Andrew Baggarly of the Bay Area News Group reports.

Sanchez was the odd man out of the catching mix with Andrew Susac (wrist) and Trevor Brown emerging as viable options behind Buster Posey. Ankle and hamstring injuries cut Sanchez's 2015 season short, but he was able to avoid another concussion scare after battling head injuries throughout the second half of 2014.