MLB Player News

Leon is out of the lineup Sunday against the Orioles, Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

After recording five hits in 10 at-bats in the Red Sox's first two games of the season, Leon has experienced a major slump at the dish, going 4-for-36 (.111 average). Leon's ongoing struggles may have paved the way for Christian Vazquez to turn the catching situation into a timeshare, as Vazquez will now pick up his third start in the last six games.

Sanchez (biceps) took swings Saturday for the first time since landing on the DL, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

The swings were both off a tee and in "tee and toss," and the catcher was also able to throw from 60 and 90 feet earlier Saturday. Per manager Joe Girardi, the next steps for Sanchez will be to take part in batting practice and throw from 120 feet, as the Yankees believe the lingering effects of the biceps strain could be more of an issue for when he throws rather than swinging. There's still no firm timetable for his return and the club will likely play it cautiously with its prized prospect, but Sanchez could progress to rehab games once he's gotten some batting practice sessions under his belt.

Perez was scratched from Saturday's lineup against the Rangers with a stiff neck, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star reports.

News regarding the severity of the ailment should be available in the near future, but consider Perez day-to-day heading into Sunday's game against Texas. With Perez sitting out, Drew Butera will get the nod to start behind the plate.

McCann went 1-for-3 and hit his fourth home run of the season in a loss to the Twins on Friday.

McCann is tied for second in home runs among MLB catchers. He's hitting just .162 this season, and as a career .241 hitter, he's probably not going to be a great contributor in batting average, but he did hit 12 home runs in just 344 at-bats last season, so he could make a push for 20 home runs with more regular playing time in 2017.

Leon is not in the lineup Friday against the Orioles, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Leon has cooled off since his scalding start at the plate, as he has only collected one hit over his past seven games. Christian Vazquez will assume catching duties for the evening.

Pentecost caught his first game since 2014 on Tuesday and is hitting .258/.303/.387 with one home run and a 6:2 K:BB in 31 at-bats with High-A Dunedin.

Pentecost's dynasty-league value is tied to him sticking behind the plate, as the bat is unlikely to profile anywhere else, so this is encouraging news. He won't catch every time he starts going forward, but he is slowly being worked back in. At 24, he is way behind in his development due to shoulder injuries, and is simply a player to watch in most formats until he reaches the upper levels and reestablishes himself as an everyday catcher.

Gomes is out of Thursday's lineup against the Twins.

He is hitting .121 on the season and will sit for a second straight game in a day game following Wednesday's rainout. Roberto Perez will start behind the dish and hit ninth.

Perez went 2-for-3 with an RBI and one walk in Wednesday's 2-0 win over Madison Bumgarner and the Giants.

The catcher's fourth multi-hit effort of the year boosted his average to .302. Through 14 games, Perez's 16 hits are second-best on the club, and his five homers are tied for the team lead. Barring injury, Perez should be among the best at his position in 2017.

Perez was optioned Wednesday to Triple-A Salt Lake, MLB.com's Maria I. Guardado reports.

Perez was off to a 1-for-13 start with four strikeouts at the plate and committed two errors behind the dish. The Angels most likely want to see more production out of their backup catcher, and called up Juan Graterol to fill that role.

Sanchez (biceps) threw for the first time Wednesday, Newsday's Erik Boland reports.

In the photo that Boland tweeted, Sanchez looked to be playing catch from roughly 60 feet before the game -- the first time he has thrown in his recovery. Sanchez tweeted Wednesday that his rehab is going well and he hopes to be swinging soon. Manager Joe Girardi said Sanchez has been catching five or six-inning "games" from a pitching machine. It is unclear exactly when he will be able to go on a rehab assignment, but he appears to be progressing well.