MLB Player News

Sanchez (groin) is expected to be activated from the injured list prior to Saturday's game against Toronto, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez caught back-to-back nights at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre earlier in the week, and the Yankees have since deemed him ready to come off the shelf. He's been on the injured list since July 24 with a Grade 1 groin strain and was batting .229 with 24 homers and 58 RBI over 77 games this season prior to the injury.

Thaiss is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Red Sox.

Thaiss will head to the bench for the second straight contest as he is 0-for-12 with six strikeouts in his last four games. David Fletcher will start at third base while Luis Rengifo takes over the keystone.

Stubbs was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Friday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Stubbs was recalled from Round Rock last week when Robinson Chirinos was dealing with a shoulder injury, but he'll be sent back down now that Chirinos is healthy. Stubbs figures to rejoin the Astros once rosters expand in September, but he's unlikely to see much of a workload.

McGuire went 4-for-4 with a double, a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Thursday's loss to the Yankees.

Coming into the game, the backstop was only 3-for-21 on the season for Toronto, so Thursday's eruption qualifies as shocking. McGuire figures to be a useful No. 2 catcher behind Danny Jansen in time, but his .247/.316/.366 slash line through 72 games for Triple-A Buffalo this year illustrates his offensive limitations.

Sanchez (groin) is on track to return from the 10-day injured list Saturday, Coley Harvey of ESPN.com reports.

Sanchez is set to catch a second straight game for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday, and if everything goes off without a hitch, it sounds like he'll be cleared to rejoin the Yankees ahead of Saturday's game against the Blue Jays. The backstop, who has been sidelined since July 23 with a minor groin strain, went 1-for-3 in his first rehab game with the RailRiders on Wednesday.

Jansen is not in the lineup Thursday against the Yankees, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Jansen and Reese McGuire have alternated starts behind the dish over the past six games, but Jansen will sit for a second straight game as he's gone just 1-for-12 with four strikeouts during that stretch.

Vazquez is not in the lineup Thursday against the Angels, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez has started the past four games and has gone 6-for-15 with a home run and two doubles. He'll give way to Sandy Leon behind the dish for Thursday's series opener with lefty Dillon Peters starting for the opposition.

Gallagher (oblique) was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Gallagher was scratched from Wednesday's lineup with left side tightness, and further testing revealed the backstop is dealing with a strained oblique and will require a stint on the injured list. Nick Dini had his contract selected from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move and should offer catching depth behind Meibrys Viloria while Gallagher is on the mend.

Thaiss is not starting Thursday against the Red Sox.

Thaiss has started the past four games, going 0-for-12 with two walks and six strikeouts during that stretch. David Fletcher is starting at third base against lefty Chris Sale on Thursday.

Higashioka went 2-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI in Wednesday's 14-2 win over the Orioles.

Higashioka had quite the coming-out party in the series finale, submitting his first multi-homer game while exceeding his combined RBI output (four) from his prior nine contests with the Yankees this season. The backstop has flashed some intriguing power both in the high minors and his limited time in the majors, but he probably won't get many more additional opportunities to showcase his skills. Gary Sanchez (groin) is on track to return from the injured list in a few days, and Higashioka is less likely than Austin Romine to stick around as the No. 2 catcher since he still has a minor-league option remaining.