MLB Player News

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.

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

With Detroit only carrying two catchers on the roster, conventional wisdom would suggest that one of Rogers or Kelly would always be on the bench to provide depth if needed. However, manager A.J. Hinch suggested that both backstops could play at the same time, particularly against left-handed pitchers. This would be a boon for Rogers, who is expected to cede a decent amount of playing time to Kelly behind the dish.

Wells won't be included in the Yankees' Opening Day lineup, with manager Aaron Boone relaying that Jose Trevino will receive the nod behind the plate in Thursday's game against the Astros, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

The lefty-hitting Wells will hit the bench for the season opener, which doesn't come as a major surprise with the righty-hitting Trevino having the platoon advantage in his favor against Astros southpaw Framber Valdez. Though Wells offers a higher-upside bat than Trevino, concerns about the former's defense behind the plate could prompt Boone to take a timeshare approach to the catcher spot when New York faces right-handed pitchers, at least to begin the season.

Trevino will start behind the plate against the Astros on Thursday, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

While some fantasy managers are excited about the offensive upside of Austin Wells, it will be Trevino behind the plate for the opener in Houston. Trevino is lauded for his work with the pitching staff, and that appears to have given him a slight leg up to begin the season, though it projects to be a fairly even playing-time split in the end with the 24-year-old Wells seeing a good share of the starts against righties. Trevino will be looking for his first career hit against Thursday's starter for the Astros, Framber Valdez (0-for-9 lifetime against the lefty).

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Wednesday in an interview with 97.3 The Game Milwaukee that the team is leaning toward carrying two catchers, which would leave Haase without a roster spot.

Haase has had a terrific spring, but he's a difficult fit on Milwaukee's roster with William Contreras and Gary Sanchez around. The Brewers could draw interest in Haase via trade, but otherwise Milwaukee could try to pass him through waivers and stash him at Triple-A Nashville.

Smith agreed Wednesday with the Dodgers on a 10-year, $140 million contract extension, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Smith had been eligible for free agency after the 2025 season, but the extension -- the longest for a catcher in MLB history -- will keep him in Dodger blue through his age-38 campaign in 2033. Since posting a career-best .980 OPS in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Smith's OPS has dropped in each of the last three seasons, but his .797 mark in 2023 was still good for fifth among all backstops who logged at least 400 plate appearances. The 29-year-old got off to a strong start to the regular season during last week's Seoul Series, going 5-for-10 with a double, a walk, two RBI and one run in the Dodgers' two games versus the Padres. Smith occupied the cleanup spot in both of those contests, and if health prevails in 2024, he should have a prime opportunity to surpass his previous career high of 87 RBI while hitting behind the likes of Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.

The Rays will reassign Jackson to the minors prior to Thursday's season opener versus the Blue Jays, Steve Carney of StPeteNine.com reports.

Among the internal options the Rays had at spring training, Jackson appeared well positioned to make the Opening Day roster as the No. 2 catcher behind Rene Pinto, but Jackson dropped a spot on the organizational depth chart after Tampa Bay acquired Ben Rortvedt from the Yankees on Wednesday. Unless he opts out of his minor-league deal, Jackson is expected to open the season as the primary backstop for Triple-A Durham.