MLB Player News

Hernandez was suspended 50 games for a second positive test for a drug of abuse, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Hernandez is currently on the Triple-A roster after signing a minor-league deal with the Red Sox in January. The 24-year-old will be able to return to action in late May, but is unlikely to make an impact in the big leagues at any point in the 2018 season.

Stassi was told that he made the Astros' roster, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

He will be the team's third catcher, but with backup Evan Gattis spending a lot of time as a designated hitter, Stassi will have plenty of opportunities to play. As a righty, he could start often against southpaws over the left-handed Brian McCann. Stassi has received brief call-ups in each of the last five seasons, compiling a .253/.318/.405 line in 89 plate appearances. He hit .266/.383/.473 with 12 homers in 73 games for Triple-A Fresno last season. His presence in a loaded Houston lineup could pad his counting stats, but he's unlikely to play often enough or well enough to be much of a factor in most fantasy leagues.

Casali agreed to a minor-league deal with the Rays on Wednesday, which includes an invitation to spring training, Steve Carney of 620 WDAE reports.

Casali is expected to join the team's camp Thursday. The catcher was recently released by the Rangers, the third different organization to release the 29-year-old this offseason, including Tampa Bay in November. Casali appeared in just nine big-league games for the team in 2017, and will be utilized in a similar capacity this season with Wilson Ramos and Jesus Sucre on the big-league roster.

Vazquez is expected to open the season as the Red Sox's top catcher and will regularly bat ninth in the lineup, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Despite hitting .346 from July 29 through the end of the season in 2017, Vazquez will have to settle for a spot at the bottom of the order due to the number of potent bats populating the Boston lineup. The low slotting in the batting order is harmful enough as it is to Vazquez's fantasy prospects, but he also projects to receive fewer plate appearances than most of top catchers around the league due to the team's plans to split the workload between him and Sandy Leon depending on which pitcher is starting on a given a day. With that in mind, Vazquez might not offer much intrigue outside of two-catcher mixed leagues or AL-only formats.

McCann added about 15 pounds to his frame in the offseason and looks more muscular this spring, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

McCann figures to be a more important part of Detroit's offense this year, as J.D. Martinez and Ian Kinsler are both gone from last year's Opening Day lineup. The 27-year-old catcher set new career highs with 13 home runs and 49 RBI in 2017, and he could surpass those numbers if the added muscle leads to more power at the plate.

Haase was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Monday, T.J. Zuppe of The Athletic Cleveland reports.

Haase has held his own this spring, hitting .250/.348/.750 with three homers in 23 plate appearances, but he was never expected to break camp with the Indians with Roberto Perez and Yan Gomes ahead of him at the major-league level. Instead he'll report back to Columbus to open the season, where he should spend the majority of the campaign after working mostly with Double-A Akron in 2017.

McCann will start at catcher and bat sixth in the Detroit lineup for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

All of the team's projected regulars are starting Monday, so it would appear McCann is tentatively penciled in as the Tigers' No. 6 hitter for the Opening Day lineup. Should McCann stick in that spot for the balance of the campaign, he would likely be in good position to surpass the career-high 49 RBI he tallied in 2017 with Miguel Cabrera, Nick Castellanos and Victor Martinez slotting directly ahead of him in the order. McCann is also aided by having less competition for starts behind the plate now that right-handed masher Alex Avila is out of the way. The two backstops split time last season before Avila was dealt to the Cubs in late July.

Wynns was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Wynns spent the 2017 season at Double-A Bowie, where he hit .281/.377/.419 over 105 games. This will mark his first extended stay with Bowie, as Wynns has played just eight games with Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate so far in his career. This spring, Wynns went 4-for-18 (.222) with five walks and two home runs.

Gomes (arm) will bat second and catch for the Indians in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Mariners, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Gomes was only sidelined the past two days with the sore arm, so it appears his absence was largely precautionary. The veteran is slated to split duties behind the plate with Roberto Perez this season.

The Athletics reassigned Murphy to their minor-league camp Sunday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Murphy wasn't a serious contender for the backup catching job in Oakland while attending his first big-league camp. The 23-year-old is likely bound for a second tour at Double-A Midland after slashing just .209/.288/.309 in 217 plate appearances in the Texas League following a midseason promotion in 2017.