MLB Player News

Maldonado will not start the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Orioles.

As expected, the Astros won't require either of their catchers to work both halves of the doubleheader. Maldonado will catch and bat eighth in the first game, with Brian McCann entering the lineup for the evening matchup.

Sanchez is out of the lineup versus the Red Sox on Saturday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Sanchez will get the afternoon off after going 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double during Friday's victory. Austin Romine will catch Domingo German and bat eighth in his absence.

Moore went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's 7-6 loss to the Blue Jays.

It's his first homer for Tampa Bay this season, and his first in the majors since 2012 with the Royals. Moore and his .550 career OPS will head into next season as a depth catching option once again, whether for the Rays or for another organization.

Garver went 4-for-5 with two singles, two doubles, six RBI and one run in Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader against White Sox.

Making his first start in over two weeks, Garver was the main catalyst in the Twins' big offensive night by driving in six of their 12 runs. It was only his third multi-hit performance since July 30, and he now owns a .268/.336/.416 slash line with 19 doubles, seven home runs and 45 RBI over 331 plate appearances in 2018.

Perez is expected to serve as the designated hitter for the remainder of the season after suffering a minor thumb injury, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

With Perez limited to the designated hitter slot, look for Cameron Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria to get the nod behind the dish for the final games of the 2018 campaign. Even with the Royals out of playoff contention, Perez will attempt to tough it out for the last weekend of the regular season.

Gomes is not in the lineup Friday against the Royals, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Gomes hits the bench for the second time in three games. Roberto Perez will get the start behind the plate.

Jansen is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rays, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Jansen takes a seat for the third time in the last four games, as he hasn't seen back-to-back starts since Sept. 13. Reese McGuire will start behind the plate and bat sixth for the Blue Jays.

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Vazquez heads to the bench after starting three of the last four games, going 2-for-13 with two runs and an RBI. Blake Swihart will start behind the plate and bat eighth for Boston.

McCann is not in the lineup versus Minnesota on Thursday.

McCann will receive a standard day off after starting the first two games of this series behind the plate, during which he's gone 3-for-7 with a double and three RBI. Grayson Greiner will handle the catching duties and bat sixth.

Garver (concussion) entered Wednesday's 11-4 win over the White Sox in the bottom of the eighth inning as a pinch hitter, fouling out to left field in his lone at-bat. He stayed in the game to play first base in the top of the ninth.

Garver's appearance marked his first game action since Sept. 12 after he had been embedded in MLB's concussion protocol. The fact that Garver was summoned from the bench Wednesday suggests that he's passed all phases of the protocol and will face no limitations going forward, though the Twins may be reluctant to use him behind the plate, where he would seemingly be more susceptible to a setback. Minnesota might be more willing to deploy Garver in the lineup at first base or designated hitter over its final five games of the season, however.