MLB Player News

Gomes is out of the lineup Wednesday against the White Sox, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

With Gomes off to a 1-for-18 start to the season, manager Terry Francona will give the backstopper his second day off in three games. Roberto Perez will enter the lineup at catcher and bat eighth in the lineup.

Higashioka will make his first major-league start against the Rays on Wednesday, starting at catcher and batting eighth.

With Gary Sanchez (biceps) on the mend and Austin Romine slumping to a .111 average, Higashioka will have his chance to shine right away. After spending last season in Triple-A, the 26-year-old impressed with a .296 batting average over 20 Grapefruit League games this spring, so the Yankees have already seen his potential. If he can string together a few solid starts, he may be in line for a permanent promotion upon Sanchez's return.

Vazquez went 4-for-4, finishing a home run shy of a cycle, and added two runs and two RBI in Tuesday's 8-1 win over the Orioles.

A big night for Vazquez, who is not known for his hitting, but is 5-for-5 to start the season. In addition to his offense, Vazquez guided Drew Pomeranz through six strong innings. Try not to be swayed by his hot start; Vazquez is a career .244 hitter that made the roster primarily becuase he's out of minor-league options.

McCann supplied all the offense the Tigers would need Tuesday, going 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a 2-1 win over the Twins.

He put the first pitch he saw from Hector Santiago in the fifth inning into the seats in left-center for his third homer of the season. McCann only has four hits so far through six games, but he's making some very loud contact when he does get his bat on the ball. The 26-year-old catcher will likely remain a batting average risk, but given his hot start he might have no trouble topping last year's career-high 12 home runs.

Leon is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Orioles, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

After going hitless in Monday's series finale with the Tigers, Leon will get a day of rest Tuesday and cede the start behind the dish to Christian Vazquez. Despite the tough outing Monday, Leon is off to a good start at the plate, batting .368 with a home run in five games.

Manager Joe Girardi said Sanchez will be out around four weeks with a Grade 1 strain of a muscle behind the biceps, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez was transferred to the 10-day DL after straining the muscle while fouling off a ball in Saturday's game. With the young backstop expected to miss around a month with the injury, Austin Romine will likely take over the bulk of the catching duties; Kyle Higashioka will figure in as the backup.

Perez blasted a solo homer in a 5-4 loss to the Astros in 12 innings Sunday.

Perez's home run -- his fourth in as many days -- was one of the three long balls on the day for the Royals, but those jacks weren't enough to deliver the visiting team a win. All four of Perez's homers have been solo shots, illustrating the lack of offense surrounding him in the Royals' lineup. Once Perez's power surge ends, it may be difficult for him to provide runs or RBI with much regularity.

Leon went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored during Sunday's 7-5 win over the Tigers.

Leon doubled in his first at-bat and delivered the biggest hit of the game when he singled with the bases loaded to drive in two in the eighth inning, breaking a tie game. He is now batting a robust .438 with five RBI through 16 at-bats and seems to be proving his impressive returns in a relatively small sample size last season were no fluke.

Maldonado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.

Maldonado seems to have established himself as the Angels' primary backstop, so his absence from the lineup Sunday is likely just for rest purposes rather than as a result of poor performance. Carlos Perez will assume catching duties, working as the battery mate for starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker.

Sanchez (biceps) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Sunday, MLB.com reports.

The Yankees acknowledged Sanchez would require a DL stint after he suffered a right biceps strain upon fouling off a pitch in Saturday's game, and they made the transaction official Sunday. Kyle Higashioka was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to give the team added depth behind the plate, but it's Austin Romine who is expected to handle the bulk of the duties at catcher for the duration of Sanchez's absence.