MLB Player News

Vazquez is in the starting lineup Saturday, catching and batting ninth, Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald reports.

It will be the season debut for Vazquez, currently serving in a backup role to Sandy Leon. The 26-year-old slashed .227/.277/.308 with 12 RBI in 57 games last season, his first since returning from an elbow injury that sidelined his 2015 campaign. Nonetheless, the team is excited about his defensive abilities -- he threw out five potential basestealers in spring training -- so he could be on track for more regular playing time.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season in Friday's loss to the Orioles.

Sanchez absolutely crushed what would prove to be Ubaldo Jimenez's final pitch of the night to put the Bombers up 5-1 in the fifth inning, though the Yankees would eventually end up squandering the lead in the losing effort. It's still far too early to draw conclusions about this season yet, but Friday's performance will likely serve to at least calm down those worried after the 24-year-old got off to a 1-for-14 start through the club's opening three games.

McCann went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk in Friday's win over the Red Sox.

McCann's first homer of 2017 gave the Tigers a 4-0 lead in the seventh inning of a game they'd eventually have to come back to win in the ninth. After seeing his home run output increase from seven in 2015 to 12 in 2016, the 26-year-old catcher certainly could continue to see his power rise as he enters his prime. With solid options at catcher being an issue for many fantasy owners, he could end up being a player that exceeds expectations this year.

Narvaez is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Twins.

Geovany Soto will receive his second straight start after blasting two homers in his season debut Thursday. Evidently, Narvaez will need to make the most of his playing time if he wants to remain the team's primary catcher.

Mejia went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's Opening Day contest for Double-A Akron.

The Tribe's top prospect put on a show in his first-ever Double-A contest. One could argue that the 21-year-old is capable of being semi-productive at the major-league level right now, but it would take an injury for Mejia to have a chance at sniffing the big leagues this season. However, the catcher's development is worthy of attention from deep-league fantasy owners.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to Minnesota.

Following a campaign in which the catcher hit a career-high 22 homers, Perez launched his first dinger of the season on his ninth trip to the plate in 2017. The Royals were swept by the Twins while scoring just five runs over the three-game series, while Perez left six runners on base during the set.

Maile will join the Blue Jays' Triple-A Buffalo affiliate after being designated for assignment by the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Blue Jays, who have a 40-man spot open, decided to claim Maile off waivers Thursday after he was designated for assignment last week by the Rays, who decided to open the season with Derek Norris and Jesus Sucre behind the dish instead. He'll see a similar situation in Toronto, as Russell Martin and Jarrod Saltalamacchia have the two catcher spots locked down, sending the 26-year-old to Triple-A Buffalo, where he'll likely serve as organizational depth in 2017.

Narvaez is not in the White Sox's lineup Thursday, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

The Opening Day backstop will share work with Geovany Soto for much of the year, though Narvaez is the slight favorite for playing time.

Leon went 3-for-5 with a double and a three-run homer that ended Wednesday's 3-0 win over Pittsburgh in the 12th inning.

The ninth-place hitter in Boston's order, Leon has outshined all his highly regarded teammates through the season's first two games, going 5-for-8. Everyone doubted that Leon could even replicate last year's .310/.369/.476 line, and he probably won't, but he appears poised to vastly outperform the fantasy community's low expectations.

Gomes is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rangers.

It looks to be just a routine day off for Gomes, who will get two full days to gear up for the weekend series with the Diamondbacks with the Indians off the schedule Thursday. Roberto Perez will receive the start at catcher and bat eighth in the order.