MLB Player News

The Yankees recalled Escarra from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.

Escarra was sent down to Triple-A on Friday after putting up just a .493 OPS through 68 plate appearances, but he'll turn around and return to the Bronx now that Austin Wells (head) is on the injured list. Escarra will likely work in a timeshare alongside Ali Sanchez behind the plate until Wells returns.

The Yankees placed Wells on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to cervical headaches.

Wells has gone just 1-for-14 at the plate over his last five games, and his headaches will now force him to remain out until at least mid-June. J.C. Escarra was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a corresponding move and will likely split reps behind the dish with Ali Sanchez.

Smith was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against the Angels.

The Dodgers haven't announced why Smith was taken out of the starting nine, but more details should come in the near future. In the meantime, Dalton Rushing will fill in as the Dodgers' catcher and bat eighth.

The Rangers placed Jansen on the 10-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Wednesday, with a right forearm strain.

Jansen's strained forearm helps to explain why he hasn't played since Tuesday. Kyle Higashioka will fill in as Texas' primary catcher while Jansen takes at least another week off to recover, and new signee Elias Diaz will serve as the backup.

The Yankees selected Sanchez's contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.

The Yankees will swap out J.C. Escarra for Sanchez in an effort to find any sort of offensive production from the catcher position. Sanchez has posted just a .454 OPS in his MLB career but has been serviceable in the minors this year with a .227 batting average and .702 OPS through 147 plate appearances.

An MRI on Basallo's right abdomen came back negative Saturday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Basallo left Friday's contest in the sixth inning with abdominal discomfort, but he seems to have avoided a serious injury. He'll miss out on the starting nine Saturday but could be available off the bench and is likely to return to the lineup within the next couple of days.

Feduccia isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Miami, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Feduccia will retreat to the bench for a third consecutive game Saturday while Nick Fortes starts at catcher and bats ninth. Feduccia may have dropped down a spot on the depth chart, though neither of Tampa Bay's backstops have performed well enough offensively this season to warrant consistent playing time.

Basallo (abdomen) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Toronto.

Basallo will officially miss a start after exiting Friday's game with right abdominal discomfort. Sam Huff was selected from Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday to provide depth at catcher in case Basallo needs to spend time on the injured list, though it remains unknown whether that will be necessary. Taylor Ward will work as Baltimore's DH in place of Basallo on Saturday, opening up left field for Blaze Alexander.

Higashioka went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 3-2 win over Cleveland.

Higashioka ignited Texas' three-run sixth inning with a leadoff homer, his fourth of the season. The blast also extended a hit streak to four games, during which he's 7-for-13 with three extra-base hits, two RBI and five runs scored. He's appeared in 32 games and is essentially sharing catching duties with Danny Jansen (41 games), but Higashioka has been the better hitter. He's has a .712 OPS compared to Jansen's .586 OPS.

Perez isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Minnesota.

Perez will take a seat on the bench to begin Saturday's contest after going 1-for-8 with a sacrifice fly over the first two games of the series. His absence will put Carter Jensen behind the plate, giving Maikel Garcia a start at DH and Josh Rojas a turn at third base.