MLB Player News

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees.

Vazquez will get the day off while Ryan Hanigan gets the start against Masahiro Tanaka. The 25-year-old is hitting .226/.294/.323 through nine games this season.

Nicholas is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Nicholas made three consecutive starts and collected hits in each of the past two; however, the 27-year-old will get the day off in favor of Bryan Holaday. Nicholas is hitting .240 since being called up in mid-April and is pushing Holaday for the starting role.

McCann (ankle) went 0-for-3 with two walks Tuesday for Triple-A Toldedo in the first game of his rehab assignment.

Nice start, but he was the designated hitter and still hasn't squatted behind the plate for more than a bullpen session. McCann is expected to be behind the dish Wednesday for Toledo, so Thursday morning will tell the tale about fatigue and relative readiness for return to the Tigers.

Casali is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Hank Conger's defensive woes have given Casali every chance to win the starting catcher job outright, but Casali has both not thrown out anyone this season (0-for-4) and is hitting just .146 on the season while striking out 21 times in 41 at-bats. Casali will be replaced by Conger in the lineup Wednesday.

Sanchez had his contract purchased by the White Sox on Tuesday, Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The White Sox needed a catcher after placing Kevan Smith (back) on the disabled list, allowing Sanchez to join the big league roster. He hasn't been hitting all that well with Triple-A Charlotte, posting a rough .143 batting average, although he does have two home runs in 30 plate appearances to his credit. Despite this, Sanchez will likely serve as the backup catcher behind Dioner Navarro until Smith or Alex Avila return from their respective injuries.

Casali went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI in Monday's 2-0 victory over the Orioles.

The 27-year-old provided ace Chris Archer with all the run support he'd need to secure his first victory of 2016. Casali plated Steven Souza with a fifth-inning, two-out double to left, and then drove in Corey Dickerson by virtue of getting plunked by reliever Vince Worley with the bases jammed in the sixth. The performance snapped a three-game hitless streak for the backstop, who's still slashing.158/.200/.289 over 38 at-bats this season, with only one multi-hit game to his credit.

McCann (ankle) will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday.

McCann has been able to catch a bullpen session and run the bases in recent days, but it remains unclear if he'll take the field during the rehab stint or just serve in a DH capacity. If all goes well during his return to game action, the catcher appears to be on track to rejoin the Detroit lineup by the beginning of May.

Vazquez went 1-for-4 and threw out a runner trying to steal second base in Monday night's 1-0 win over the Braves.

The caught-stealing was the first for Vazquez at the major league level since his return from Tommy John elbow surgery. The defensively gifted backstop has a reputation for controlling the running game and it was on display in a tight game where runners in scoring position were at a premium. He does all the little things well -- the aspects of the catching that may not show up in a box score -- that enable pitchers to get wins.

Gomes hit his third home run, a solo blast, in Monday's loss to the Twins.

Gomes continues to struggle with strikeouts, as he logged his 15th in as many games Monday night and is hitting just .245. But the power is there, as Gomes now has two homers in his past two games and six extra-base hits on the season to fuel a sharp .472 slugging percentage.

McCann (ankle) ran the bases Monday and could begin a rehab assignment as the DH at Triple-A Toledo if he feels good Tuesday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The Tigers want to be sure that McCann isn't experiencing any unusual soreness Tuesday after the increase in activity. He's still likely a few days away -- at the earliest -- from returning to the lineup for Detroit.