MLB Player News

McCann will be on the bench for the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Pirates, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The Tigers will stick with the same lineup they planned to go with Saturday before that contest was rained out, so McCann will give way to John Hicks in the first half of the twin bill before returning behind the plate for Game 2. McCann went 2-for-6 with a double, walk, run and two RBI in the Tigers' 13-inning loss in the season opener Friday.

Manager Aaron Boone said Sanchez probably won't play Sunday against the Blue Jays, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez has started the Yankees' first three games behind the dish, so he'll open Sunday's series finale on the bench as Austin Romine picks up the start. While Boone didn't completely rule Sanchez out, it sounds like he wants to give the backstop the entire game off. Look for Sanchez to return to the lineup Monday against the Rays.

Vazquez is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Rays, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Sandy Leon will receive his first action of the season in Vazquez's place. Last season, Vazquez received 345 plate appearances compared to Leon's 301. That ratio is closer to a 50-50 split than a true starter/backup situation, a scenario which figures to continue this season.

Perez is not in the lineup against Seattle on Saturday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Perez will remain on the bench while Yan Gomes earns another start behind the plate. It's expected that the two will split time this season.

Maldonado is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against Oakland, Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group reports.

Maldonado will get the day off after setting up behind the plate in back-to-back days to start the 2018 season. In his place, Rene Rivera will catch Matt Shoemaker and bat ninth in the order.

McCann is not in the lineup against the Pirates on Saturday, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reports.

McCann will head to the bench after going 2-for-6 with a double and two RBI during Friday's extra-inning contest. In his place, John Hicks will set up behind the plate and bat sixth in the order.

Stassi went 1-for-4 with a double and knocked in a run in Friday's 5-1 loss to the Rangers.

The Astros had chances Friday -- they were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position -- but only Stassi broke through with a man in scoring position. Stassi, who will be the primary backup to the 34-year-old Brian McCann, got the call for the second game of the season. McCann's unlikely to get much more than 100 starts, so Stassi's in line for a significant amount of plate appearances. His framing and game-calling have improved, so there are no qualms about having him on the field. If he maintains any semblance of offense -- manager A.J. Hinch raved about his improvement at the plate during training camp -- Stassi could be a pleasant sleeper at catcher.

Leon will make his first appearance in the starting lineup this season against the Rays on Saturday, Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com reports.

Leon didn't make an appearance during the Red Sox's Opening Day loss and wasn't in the lineup for Friday's contest, but manager Alex Cora stated that the 29-year-old will be behind the plate when Rick Porcello takes the mound Saturday. With Christian Vazquez the primary catcher, it seems likely that Leon will only see marginal playing time this season.

Perez is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mariners.

With Perez situated on the bench, Yan Gomes will draw the start behind the dish for the Indians' season opener. Perez and Gomes are expected to split time behind the plate in 2018.

The Royals officially placed Perez on the 10-day disabled list Thursday, MLB.com reports.

The transaction comes one day after the Royals revealed that Perez was dealing with a Grade 2 tear of the MCL in his left knee, which he sustained while carrying a suitcase up a flight of stairs. The injury is projected to sideline Perez for 4-to-6 weeks, leaving Drew Butera to act as the team's primary backup. The Royals recalled Cam Gallagher from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move to provide depth behind Butera.