MLB Player News

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.

Naylor is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics.

The lefty-hitting Naylor will take a seat for Opening Day as southpaw Alex Wood takes the hill for Oakland. Austin Hedges will get the nod behind the plate in Naylor's stead.

The Athletics selected McCann's contract from Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.

McCann won the backup catcher job as the Athletics elected to send Tyler Soderstrom to Las Vegas. McCann likely won't play much behind Shea Langeliers.

The Brewers designated Haase for assignment Thursday.

Haase turned a lot of heads during camp this spring, slashing .395/.465/.868 with five homers and 14 RBI across 43 plate appearances. However, the Brewers didn't want to carry a third catcher behind William Contreras and Gary Sanchez, so the team will instead attempt to pass Haase through waivers. The 31-year-old backstop only managed a .201 average and .528 OPS with the Tigers and Guardians last season, but other organizations may be willing to take a chance on him after his monster spring.

The Phillies placed Marchan on the 10-day injured list Thursday with lower-back pain.

The back issue cropped up early in spring training and was initially expected to be a day-to-day concern, but Marchan was never able to show enough improvement to play in any Grapefruit League games. With Marchan opening the season on the injured list, Garrett Stubbs is locked in as the No. 2 backstop behind JT Realmuto.

The Pirates designated Sanchez for assignment Thursday.

Sanchez signed a one-year deal with the Pirates in the offseason but will fall short of the Opening Day roster after going just 2-for-16 during spring training. The 27-year-old catcher slashed .311/.375/.492 over 267 plate appearances at Triple-A Reno in the Diamondbacks organization last season, so he could draw interest from teams on the waiver wire.

The Blue Jays selected Serven's contract from Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Serven will be the Jays' backup catcher while Danny Jansen (wrist) is sidelined to begin the season. He's a career .195/.248/.314 hitter in the majors and should see occasional action behind starter Alejandro Kirk.

Kelly could see some time at DH this year on days when Jake Rogers starts behind the plate, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Kelly was already expected to see a sizable role as the backup catcher, and time at DH would boost his prospects further. Rogers should still play more frequently, though Kelly will be involved it seems, particularly against left-handed pitchers, as he posted an .801 OPS against southpaws last season. His value would increase if Rogers were to deal with an injury at any point.