MLB Player News

McGuire will be on the Blue Jays' roster for the AL Wild Card Round against the Rays.

McGuire is likely to be little more than an insurance policy, as he'll be the third catcher behind Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk. The Blue Jays will likely be hoping he doesn't have to see the field, as he hit just .073/.073/.146 in 45 plate appearances this season.

Sanchez won't start Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

With Gerrit Cole taking the mound for the Yankees to begin the series, Kyle Higashioka will serve as his catcher as he's done during much of the regular season. However, Sanchez should be available off the bench and during the remainder of the series.

Murphy (foot) is expected back at full health next season and should operate in a timeshare with Luis Torrens (back) behind the dish, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Murphy was shut down for good in mid-September after it become evident he would not be able to return from the broken bone he suffered in his left foot during summer camp. The veteran backstop should be back to full health by the time spring training rolls around, but he isn't likely to be ticketed for the high-volume role he was projected to fill in 2020; Torrens, acquired from the Padres at the trade deadline, performed well in a limited sample with the Mariners and figures to see a solid share of playing time in his own right next season.

Maldonado is not in the lineup Sunday against the Rangers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Maldonado is on the bench for the second straight game as the Astros give him some extra rest heading into the playoffs. Dustin Garneau starts behind the plate Sunday, batting ninth.

Stassi is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Anthony Bemboom will take over behind the plate as Stassi sits for the Angels' final game of 2020. Stassi had a great showing, offensively, in 105 plate appearances around a knee injury and projects to open 2021 as the primary catcher barring any offseason additions.

Vazquez is not in the lineup Sunday against the Braves, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Vazquez went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and four RBI in what was his final start of the season Saturday. He'll likely finish 2020 with a .283/.344/.457 slash line, seven homers and four stolen bases in 47 games. Kevin Plawecki takes over behind the plate in the season finale.

Garver is not in the lineup Sunday against the Reds, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Garver takes a seat for the second straight contest while going 4-for-21 with a homer and 14 strikeouts over his past six games. Alex Avila starts behind the plate in the final game of the regular season.

McCann went 2-for-2 with two walks, a solo home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 9-5 win over the Cubs.

McCann snapped an 0-for-16 skid, going back to Sept. 15 when he laced his sixth home run, with his seventh homer in the second inning. He's had a second consecutive strong season, batting .289/.360/.536 over 31 games in 2020 as the backup to Yasmani Grandal.

Vazquez went 3-for-5 with a grand slam in Saturday's 8-2 win over Atlanta.

Vazquez sent a pitch from Atlanta reliever Grant Dayton into the left-field seats to finish an eight-run rally by the Red Sox in the second inning. Vazquez also had a double in the contest. The catcher is slashing .283/.344/.457 with seven homers, 23 RBI, 22 runs scored and four stolen bases in 47 games this year.

Garver will sit Saturday against the Reds.

Garver hasn't come close to repeating his .995 OPS from his breakout 2019 campaign, as his .498 OPS this season is barely more than halfway to that mark. He's remained the Twins' top option behind the plate when available, however, but not by a particularly large margin. Ryan Jeffers will be the catcher Saturday.