Free-agent catcher Mike Zunino has retired from professional baseball. Known for both his prodigious power and big-time strikeout rates, the 32-year-old spent the 2023 season with the Cleveland Guardians but struggled to a .177 average with just three homers in 42 games before being designated for assignment to pave the way for the catcher of the future Bo Naylor. Also known for his excellent work behind the plate, Zunino hangs 'em up after appearing in 892 regular-season games with a lifetime .199 average and 149 home runs in that time. He launched a career-high 33 home runs in the 2021 season with the Tampa Bay Rays while he spent six seasons with the Seattle Mariners to begin his career.
The Cleveland Guardians plan to call up catching prospect Bo Naylor from Triple-A Columbus in order to join the team on Saturday. Naylor is the team's No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and he's also the younger brother of Cleveland first baseman Josh Naylor. The 23-year-old backstop will join the Guardians after they decided to designate catcher Mike Zunino for assignment on Friday. He earned the promotion to the big leagues after hitting .254 (55-for-217) with 12 doubles, a triple, 13 home runs and 48 RBI in 60 games for Columbus this year. Bo Naylor should be in the starting lineup on Saturday and is worth picking up immediately in single-catcher fantasy leagues because of his power upside at a shallow position.
Cleveland Guardians catcher Mike Zunino is not in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles. Zunino is taking a regular day of rest after going hitless with a walk and a strikeout in three at-bats on Tuesday. The 32-year-old veteran backstop is hitting under the Mendoza Line at .194 (20-for-103) on the season with seven doubles, three home runs, nine RBI and 11 runs scored in 35 games played, so he's not really moving the needle much in fantasy. In the month of May, he's hit just .133 (6-for-45), although he has two, two-hit games in his last three contests. Cam Gallagher will be behind the plate for Cleveland on Wednesday, and he's hitting in the nine-hole against Orioles left-hander Keegan Akin.
Cleveland Guardians catcher Mike Zunino went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in a 3-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on Monday. Zunino provided most of the offense in the low-scoring game with a two-run shot in the seventh inning. The blast traveled 341 feet and had an exit velocity of 101.5 MPH. Hopefully the homer will get Zunino's bat going as he has been ice-cold at the plate in 2023, hitting just .173 with three homers, eight runs, and nine RBI over 90 at-bats.
Cleveland Guardians catcher Mike Zunino (neck) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's matchup against the Angels. He didn't play on Friday because of neck stiffness, so he'll miss another one. Zunino has struggled in May, going hitless with 15 strikeouts in 20 at-bats, so maybe a trip to the injured list could be on the horizon. In the meantime, Cam Gallagher will handle things behind the dish and hit against Reid Detmers, with the 30-year-old going 0-for-1 versus the lefty during his career.
Cleveland Guardians catcher Mike Zunino (shoulder) is expected to be ready for the spring opener next week. The 31-year-old is returning from thoracic outlet surgery, but appears to be headed in the right direction. He signed a one-year deal worth $6 million over the offseason. Zunino is expected to be the starting catcher for this team, but prospect Bo Naylor is waiting in the wings. Naylor will likely head to Triple-A to begin the season, but could join the Guardians at some point during the season. Zunino didn't bring much to the table last season. He hit .148 with five home runs and 16 RBI in 36 games, so hopefully he'll bounce back in 2023.
The Cleveland Guardians signed free-agent catcher Mike Zunino (shoulder) to a one-year, $6 million deal on Tuesday. Zunino played in only 36 games for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022 and had thoracic outlet surgery in July. However, the 31-year-old backstop is expected to be ready for the start of the 2023 season, where he should serve as the Guardians' primary catcher. Eventually, though, catching prospect Bo Naylor could begin to earn more playing time, depending on how he performs. Zunino has been able to provide plenty of power at the catcher position in fantasy with 146 long balls in 10 big-league seasons, but he also strikes out a ton and won't do you any favors in the batting-average department with a career slash line of .200/.271/.410. He hit just .148 with five home runs and 16 RBI last year before his injury.
Tampa Bay Rays catcher Mike Zunino (shoulder) will undergo surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome and will miss the remainder of the 2022 season. It was a rough Monday for the Rays, as it was also announced that outfielder Kevin Kiermaier (hip) will miss the rest of the year. Zunino will finish his 2022 season with a brutal .148/.195/.304 slash line with five home runs, 16 RBI and seven runs scored in 123 plate appearances over 36 games played. The 31-year-old slugger will be a free agent after this season. With Zunino done for the year, Francisco Mejia and Christian Bethancourt will continue splitting time behind the plate for Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay Rays skipper Kevin Cash said that catcher Mike Zunino (shoulder) could be dealing with thoracic outlet syndrome. He will receive a Botox injection that has helped other players in similar situations, and he will need three to six days to see if it makes an impact. Zunino was hitting an ugly .148/.195/.304 with five home runs, 16 RBI, seven runs scored and 46 strikeouts in 123 plate appearances over 36 games before landing on the injured list, but it's possible his shoulder was the culprit. There remains no timetable for his return, and there's a chance that the 31-year-old could need surgery that keeps him out for the rest of the season. Francisco Mejia will remain the primary catcher with Zunino out, with Rene Pinto backing him up.
Tampa Bay Rays catcher Mike Zunino (shoulder) is expected to be placed on the injured list. He has dealt with a shoulder issue since late spring training. It's uncertain whether or not this injury is related to that. Rene Pinto is expected to join the big league roster as Zunino's replacement. However, Francisco Mejia is likely to do a majority of the catching, assuming Zunino does miss time. Fantasy managers won't be missing him too much since Zunino has struggled at the plate this season.
