MLB Player News

Wong (shoulder) is in the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

A sore shoulder slowed Wong at the start of camp, but he is now ready to make his spring debut. The 28-year-old surprised many with his performance last season (.280/.333/.425), and after the Red Sox traded Kyle Teel this winter, Wong looks like the catcher of the present and future in Boston.

New Reds manager Terry Francona doesn't intend to use Stephenson as a first baseman on days he's not catching, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Stephenson will still get some reps at DH when Jose Trevino is behind the plate, but Francona wants to keep Stephenson off the field when he's not catching. The practical consequence of this is that Stephenson could get fewer plate appearances, especially with the Reds carrying a legitimate backup in Trevino.

Del Castillo (arm) will make his first start this spring at catcher Friday against the Royals.

Del Castillo's first two Cactus League starts were at designated hitter as he worked his way back from some right arm fatigue, but he's now fully cleared. The young backstop is competing for the Diamondbacks' backup catcher job behind Gabriel Moreno.

Murphy (back) began light rehab activities Friday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury Newsreports.

Murphy has a mid-back disk herniation and is facing a fairly lengthy rehab process. The veteran catcher will begin the season on the injured list, leaving Sam Huff and Max Stassi competing for the backup role behind Patrick Bailey.

The A's are open to Soderstrom serving as their backup catcher this season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Soderstrom has progressively seen his playing time behind the plate dwindle as his professional career has progressed, and he appeared there only once in 61 big-league games last season. He's projected to serve as the A's primary first baseman to begin the season, though the team is considering him as the backup to Shea Langeliers to maximize their roster flexibility. While Soderstrom won't enter the season with catcher eligibility in most formats, his potential to pick it up during the campaign would be a significant boost to his fantasy appeal.

Rortvedt will not be allowed to throw for 3-to-4 days after receiving an injection Wednesday in his sore right shoulder, MLB.com reports.

The Rays are hopeful Rortvedt will be ready to return to Grapefruit League play shortly after the brief shutdown period. He's slated to open the season as the team's No.2 catcher behind Danny Jansen.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Smith (ankle) will make his Cactus League debut Friday versus the Angels, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Per Vassegh, Shohei Ohtani (elbow/shoulder) will be making his spring debut Friday as the Dodgers' designated hitter, so Smith looks poised to handle his normal catching duties in his first start of the spring rather than being eased back in a non-defensive role. The Dodgers have been proceeding cautiously with Smith during camp due to a minor ankle injury, but assuming he experiences no setbacks Friday and in his subsequent Cactus League appearances, he'll be available to catch in the team's season-opening two-game series in Tokyo versus the Cubs on March 18 and 19.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that the club is hoping Wong (shoulder) will be ready to make his Grapefruit League debut this weekend, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Wong has been behind schedule due to shoulder soreness, but he will face live pitching Thursday and Friday. If that goes well, Wong will be cleared to play in games. It's not clear whether his initial game action would come as a designated hitter or if he would be allowed to catch right away, but Wong should be ready to serve as Boston's top backstop by the time Opening Day arrives.

Wells is in the lineup for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, starting at catcher and batting fifth, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

The Yankees had previously disclosed a plan to keep Wells out of spring games until March 1, but the catcher will end up making his Grapefruit League debut a bit earlier than expected. In his age-24 campaign, Wells slashed .229/.322/.395 with 13 homers and 55 RBI across 414 regular-season plate appearances, and he should shoulder even more of the workload behind the plate in 2025, if healthy.

Kelly went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks.

Kelly, who signed a two-year, $11.5 million contract with the Cubs in December, connected for his first spring home run in his new uniform. The veteran backstop was brought in to pair with Miguel Amaya, and both players figure to see plenty of playing time, at least to start the season. While Kelly's experience should be valuable for Chicago, he's a limited offensive player with less upside at the plate than Amaya.