MLB Player News

Raleigh (heel) started at catcher and went 0-for-3 in a Cactus League loss to the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Raleigh ended up missing just one game with the heel issue in an absence that had been labeled as precautionary. The slugging backstop retains an impressive .348 average with three home runs and 10 RBI across 10 Cactus League games despite Sunday's blanking.

The Athletics optioned Soderstrom to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.

Soderstrom got off to a slow start in spring training, and the struggles continued. The catcher posted a .370 OPS across 34 plate appearances in 14 games. At Triple-A Las Vegas in 2023, the 22-year-old had a .833 OPS. This move points to Carlos Perez opening the season as the backup catcher for Oakland.

The Pirates reassigned Bins to minor-league camp Sunday.

Bins was reassigned to minor-league camp for the second straight spring. The catcher dealt with injuries throughout the 2023 season in the minors and had a few stints on the injured list.

Fortes went 0-for-3 with an RBI in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

The 27-year-old catcher hasn't made much impact at the plate this spring, batting .118 (2-for-17) with zero extra-base hits, although he does have a 4:2 BB:K. Fortes is expected to split reps behind the plate with Christian Bethancourt this season, but neither is likely to be an appealing fantasy option.

Raleigh (heel) will start at catcher and bat fifth in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks.

Raleigh was scratched from the lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the White Sox due to a bruised heel, but the extra day off was apparently all the backstop needed to recover from the injury. The 27-year-old carries a .400/.520/1.000 spring slash line over nine Cactus League games into Sunday's contest.

Knizner went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's spring game against Arizona.

Knizner swatted his second Cactus League home run and is 6-for-23 (.261) with four extra-base hits and 10 RBI over eight spring games. He entered the game in the fourth inning as the designated hitter, but Knizner's shaping up to be the primary backup at catcher to Jonah Heim.

McGuire (illness) is starting behind the plate and batting fifth in Sunday's split-squad game against Atlanta, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

The 29-year-old was scratched from Thursday's starting nine due to an illness but will return to action after resting up over the past couple days. McGuire had a .688 OPS in 202 plate appearances last season and is poised to open 2024 as the primary backup to Connor Wong at catcher.

Moreno (back) is expected to return to the Diamondbacks' lineup Sunday against the Angels, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

Moreno has been unavailable for a couple days with lower-back tightness but has evidently made enough progress that his return to action is imminent. The young catcher is 4-for-17 with one home run and a 2:3 K:BB over 20 plate appearances for Arizona this spring.

Raleigh will not play in Saturday's Cactus League game against the White Sox due to a bruised heel sustained in Thursday's contest against the Brewers, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Michael Papierski will get the start at catcher with Raleigh held out. The move is a precautionary one, with Divish noting that Raleigh would've played if it was a regular-season game. Raleigh is slashing .400/.520/1.000 with three home runs and 10 RBI over 20 at-bats in spring training.

Bethancourt went 0-for-3 in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

The veteran catcher is expected to split work behind the plate with Nick Fortes this season for the Marlins, but Bethancourt has done little in camp to attract attention from fantasy GMs. He's batting .217 (5-for-23) through 10 games with a 1:7 BB:K, and a double stands as his only extra-base hit. Bethancourt has slugged exactly 11 homers each of the last two seasons, but his .239/.268/.395 slash line offers little appeal even as an endgame dart for those not wanting to invest heavily at catcher.