MLB Player News

McCann is out of the lineup Sunday against the Red Sox.

Thanks to two of the Tigers' first three games of the season being rained out, McCann has been able to start behind the plate in all four of the team's contests thus far. He'll get a breather Sunday, though, after playing in three consecutive days. Alex Avila will assume catching duties in the afternoon contest, but expect to see McCann back out there for the series finale Monday.

The Yankees recalled Higashioka from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.

A strong spring training helped vault Higashioka up to third on the organizational depth chart at catcher, and with Gary Sanchez (biceps) landing on the DL, the 26-year-old will now get his first taste of the big leagues. The Yankees figure to hand Austin Romine the bulk of the starts behind the plate during Sanchez's absence, but Higashioka could cut into Romine's workload if he impresses in the initial opportunities he receives.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, his third of the year, in Saturday's come-from-behind victory over Houston.

Perez's long ball put the icing on the cake of a six-run eighth inning for Kansas City. The home run also marked the first time in Perez's career that he's gone deep in three straight games. He's 6-for-19 with a walk through the first five games of 2017.

Higashioka will be called up to the Yankees, Sweeney Murti of Sportsradio 66 WFAN reports.

With Gary Sanchez, the Yankees' starting catcher, headed to the 10-day DL with a biceps strain, Higashioka will join the big-league club to fill the void left by him. While most of the starts behind the dish will go to Austin Romine, the 26-year-old should see occasional opportunities. The move will be made official once Sanchez is placed on the 10-day DL.

Manager Joe Girardi said Sanchez (biceps) will be placed on the 10-day disabled list, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Sanchez was forced to leave Saturday's game after awkwardly fouling off a pitch, and it appears the right biceps strain he suffered will require a stint on the DL. Kyle Higashioka will be called up to fill the catching void left by Sanchez, though Austin Romine will likely see the bulk of starts in his place. Given that the injury was to Sanchez's throwing arm, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Yankees were cautious with his recovery, but his status will be updated once the team provides some sort of timetable for his return.

McCann went 1-for-2 and hit a home run for the second straight game in Saturday's win over the Red Sox.

McCann launched a career-high 12 home runs in 2016, and he could top that number this season with regular playing time. Alex Avila will snag a few starts here and there, but McCann should be behind the plate most days, and he could be a sneaky play if he keeps this up.

Sanchez left Saturday's game with a right biceps strain, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports.

He left after oddly suffering the injury while fouling off a pitch. Sanchez was holding his arm limp at his side after suffering the injury, so it seems likely to be more than just a day-to-day issue. Austin Romine, who replaced Sanchez on Saturday, will presumably get the bulk of the starts behind the dish while Sanchez is out. Kyle Higashioka could be recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre if Sanchez requires a DL stint. His status will be updated when the team provides a timetable for his return, but he should be considered out indefinitely for now.

Sanchez left Saturday's game in the top of the fifth inning with an apparent right wrist injury after fouling off a pitch, Newsday's David Lennon reports. He was 0-for-2 with a strikeout prior to exiting.

The fact that Sanchez left the game immediately is not a great sign, as Austin Romine came in to replace him. Sanchez's status will be updated as soon as the team comments on the injury, but it didn't look good.

Gomes is out of the lineup Saturday against the Diamondbacks, FanRag Sports' Jack Magruder reports.

This will be the second time in the season's first five games that he is not in the lineup, but he actually received a pinch-hit appearance in the previous game, so he has appeared in every Indians game so far in 2017. Roberto Perez will get the start behind the dish and hit eighth in the National League park.

Leon is out of the starting lineup for Saturday's game against Detroit, Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald reports.

It appears to be a regular rest day for Leon and a chance for Christian Vazquez to get some work behind the plate. The switch-hitter is off to a sizzling start this season, going 5-for-12 with a home run, so he'll likely be back in the lineup for Sunday's contest.