MLB Player News

Bethancourt is starting at catcher and batting ninth in Friday's game versus the Pirates, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Nick Fortes started at catcher on Opening Day, but it will be Bethancourt behind the dish Friday with A.J. Puk on the mound. It will likely be a fairly even split in playing time this season between the two, limiting the already low fantasy upside of each.

Rutschman went 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBI and three runs scored in Thursday's 11-3 win over the Angels.

Rutschman's Opening Day effort was highlighted by a two-run single in the second inning, and the catcher scored each time he got aboard. He hit a reasonable .257 in spring training, but Rutschman has the upside to be the No. 1 catcher in fantasy. At the very least, he should see ample playing time this season after slashing .277/.374/.435 over 154 games (687 plate appearances) in 2023.

The Cubs signed Casali to a minor-league contract Friday.

Casali was released by the Marlins earlier this week after failing to crack their Opening Day roster. The veteran backstop will head to Triple-A Iowa for now, where he will be the third catcher on the organizational depth chart behind Yan Gomes and Miguel Amaya.

Kirk went 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBI in Thursday's 8-2 win over the Rays on Opening Day.

The 25-year-old got his campaign off to a quick start with a two-run single in the sixth inning that brought home Bo Bichette and Justin Turner. With Danny Jansen (wrist) on the shelf for at least a couple more weeks, Kirk will be the Blue Jays' starting backstop to begin the season, and after a disappointing 2023 in which he managed only eight homers, 43 RBI and a .692 OPS, he'll attempt to regain his form from 2022 when he slashed .285/.372/.415 with 14 home runs and 63 RBI.

Moreno went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs and three RBI against the Rockies in Thursday's 16-1 Opening Day victory.

All of Moreno's production came in Arizona's 14-run third inning, during which the backstop recorded a run-scoring single and a two-run double. The 24-year-old dealt with a back injury in spring training but appears back to full health to begin the regular season. He's locked in as the Diamondback's primary catcher after slashing .284/.339/.408 with seven homers, 50 RBI and six steals during his first full big-league campaign last year.

Fry went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI in Thursday's 8-0 Opening Day win over Oakland.

Fry got the start at DH and batted fifth in the order following a strong spring during which he hit .295 with a pair of homers and eight RBI. The 28-year-old scored Cleveland's first run of the campaign in the second inning Thursday, coming around to score on a Tyler Freeman double following his own one-out two-bagger. In addition to his three hits, Fry added a sacrifice fly in the ninth frame to cap the scoring in the contest. It will take much more than one game for him to gain viability in mixed fantasy leagues, though the fact that Fry holds catcher eligibility and may log occasional time at DH in addition to being able to play the infield and outfield gives him some intrigue, especially in two-catcher formats.

Jeffers started at catcher and went 0-for-5 in Thursday's Opening Day win at Kansas City. He hit No. 2 in the lineup for the second time in his career.

Jeffers didn't do much in the season opener, but his position in the lineup against a left-handed starter shows the team has confidence that his second half showing last season was a sign of things to come. Jeffers surged at the plate in with a career-high .858 OPS and a .928 OPS in the second half. He's expected to split playing time with Christian Vazquez as the Twins like to give their catchers rest. However, Jeffers could get the majority of starts.

Bart (hamstring) made the Giants' Opening Day roster but didn't appear off the bench in Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Padres.

Bart tweaked his right hamstring in a March 22 Cactus League game, but he was able to play in both of the Giants' Bay Bridge Series exhibition games against the Athletics on Monday and Tuesday to guarantee his availability for the start of the season. He's opening the season as the Giants' No. 3 catcher and is unlikely to see much playing time behind Patrick Bailey and Tom Murphy.

The Blue Jays placed Jansen (wrist) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

With Jansen on the shelf to begin the season, Alejandro Kirk will take over as the Blue Jays' clear No. 1 catcher, while Brian Serven was added to the 40-man roster and will serve as Kirk's understudy. Jansen sustained a small fracture in his right wrist March 15 but could soon resume baseball activities, at which point a clearer target date for his season debut might come into focus.

The Pirates placed Grandal (foot) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Grandal hasn't yet resumed running since experiencing plantar fasciitis in his left foot earlier this month, but once he's able to do so, he should be ready to head out on a rehab assignment. Manager Derek Shelton suggested early in spring training that Grandal would begin camp atop the depth chart at catcher, but the skipper's comments came before the 35-year-old was slowed by the foot injury. With that in mind, Grandal may not be guaranteed the No. 1 catching gig once he's activated from the IL, especially if Henry Davis gets off to a hot start to the season.