MLB Player News

Collins will start at designated hitter and will bat fifth Tuesday against the Red Sox.

Teoscar Hernandez's (oblique) recent move to the injured list has allowed both Collins and fellow catcher Alejandro Kirk to pick up steady playing time of late. With Kirk handling catching duties for the third game in a row, Collins will pick up his third straight start as a DH and fourth consecutive start overall. Collins went 6-for-11 with a home run, two doubles and a walk over the past three contests and should be rewarded with steady at-bats while he's wielding a hot bat and while Hernandez is sidelined.

The Red Sox placed Vazquez on the COVID-19-related injured list Tuesday.

Vazquez becomes the second Red Sox catcher to land on the COVID-19 IL in the last two days after Kevin Plawecki was deactivated Monday. Connor Wong was called up from Triple-A Worcester on Monday and tentatively steps in as Boston's No. 1 catcher, with the backstop set to make his first start of the season Tuesday against the Blue Jays, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. Boston has yet to officially add another catcher to the roster to serve as Wong's understudy, but Ronaldo Hernandez suggested in a post on his Instagram account that he'll be called up from Triple-A to fortify the position group, per Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican. Abraham also notes that Vazquez is vaccinated, so he'll be eligible to join the Red Sox for next week's series in Toronto if he clears MLB's testing protocol in timely fashion.

Stassi went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk against Houston in Monday's loss.

Stassi delivered the only long ball of the game for the Angels with a solo blast to right field in the sixth inning. The homer was his second of the season and accounted for his sixth RBI. Stassi has posted a .250/.357/.542 slash line and has served as Los Angeles' primary catcher through the early part of the campaign.

Mejia isn't starting Monday's game against the Cubs, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mejia and Mike Zunino continue to alternate starts behind the dish to begin the year, and the latter will bat eighth as the starting catcher Monday. Mejia has hit .300 with a home run, seven RBI and three runs in six appearances this season.

Vazquez went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs and two RBI in Monday's loss to the Twins.

Vazquez drove in Alex Verdugo on a groundout in the bottom of the fifth inning before later going deep for a solo homer off Jhoan Duran in the seventh. The homer was his first of the season after he had six last year. The catcher also added a single in the ninth, giving him his first multi-hit effort of the campaign.

Moreno has hit safely in all four games so far for Triple-A Buffalo, going 7-for-18 (.389) with two doubles and a 1:2 BB:K.

The 22-year-old is Toronto's top fantasy prospect, and Moreno is living up to the hype in the early going at Triple-A. The Blue Jays declined to bring him up for his big-league debut when Danny Jansen (oblique) landed in on the injured list, but if Moreno continues to be unchallenged by Triple-A pitching, it may not be long before he's pushing Jansen and Alejandro Kirk for playing time in the majors.

The Red Sox will call up Wong from Triple-A Worcester prior to Monday's game against the Twins, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Wong will join the 28-man active roster as a replacement for backup catcher Kevin Plawecki, who was sent home from Fenway Park after testing positive for COVID-19. With the Red Sox's annual Patriots' Day game beginning at 11:10 a.m. ET, Wong may not arrive in Boston in time for first pitch, but he should be available off the bench behind starting catcher Christian Vazquez. Whenever Plawecki clears the necessary protocols and is ready to return from the COVID-19 injured list, Wong will likely head back to Worcester.

The Red Sox will place Plawecki on the COVID-19 injured list after he tested positive for the virus Monday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

In addition to Plawecki, two other unidentified staff members tested positive. Plawecki is fully vaccinated, so if he's able to make a speedy recovery from the illness, he'll be able to travel to Toronto early next week when the Red Sox and Blue Jays play a four-game set. Boston will call up Connor Wong from Triple-A Worcester to step in as the backup catcher behind No. 1 option Christian Vazquez while Plawecki is in isolation from the team.

Bethancourt went 2-for-4 with an RBI ground-rule double and a run in a win over the Blue Jays on Saturday.

The journeyman backstop made an impact in his first start of the season, extending the Athletics' lead to 3-1 with his second-inning two-bagger. Bethancourt's stint with the big-league club may not extend beyond Austin Allen's stay on the restricted list, but as he showed Saturday, he can offer solid organizational depth at Triple-A Las Vegas and contribute in a pinch at the major-league level given his experience.

Maldonado is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against Seattle, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Maldonado started the past three games and will receive the day off for the series finale. Jason Castro will take over behind the plate Sunday.