MLB Player News

Sanchez is dealing with a Grade 1 (minor) groin strain, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Fortunately it is not a serious strain, but manager Aaron Boone still didn't want to offer up a timetable for Sanchez's return. He is eligible to return on Aug. 3. Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka will split the catching duties in the short term.

Realmuto went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Tigers.

His fourth-inning shot opened the scoring and proved to be all the offense Vince Velasquez and the Phillies bullpen would need on the afternoon. Realmuto is now slashing .267/.318/.434 on the year with 12 homers and 46 RBI in 96 games.

Perez is not in the lineup Wednesday against Toronto.

Perez has carried a heavy load this season, with his 70 games started behind the plate tying him for fifth in the league. Kevin Plawecki gets the start Wednesday.

Mejia is not starting Wednesday against the Mets.

Mejia has started seven out of 11 games since the All-Star break, posting an .873 OPS over that stretch. Austin Hedges gets the start behind the plate in his absence.

Nola will start at second base and bat seventh Wednesday against the Rangers.

Nola will enter the lineup for a fifth straight game and will make his second consecutive start at the keystone. With Dee Gordon (quadriceps) landing on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Nola may be in line for a trial in an everyday role, potentially making him someone worth keeping an eye on in AL-only or deeper mixed leagues.

Gallagher is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Braves.

Gallagher has been the top option behind the plate in Kansas City since the team traded Martin Maldonado to the Cubs, starting five of seven games prior to Wednesday's contest. Meibrys Viloria gets the nod in his absence.

Stassi went 2-for-3 in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Athletics.

Heading into Tuesday, Stassi had managed just four hits in 28 at-bats over his 11 games since returning from the 10-day injured list in late June. The two-hit performance is a marginal step in the right direction, but Stassi probably won't be in line for a surge in playing time because of it. He's locked in as the clear No. 2 catcher in Houston behind Robinson Chirinos.

Maldonado is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.

With starts in four of the Cubs' previous seven games, Maldonado appeared to overtake Victor Caratini as the team's primary backstop, but both should see their roles decline considerably moving forward. Chicago reinstated two-time All-Star Willson Contreras (foot) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday and inserted him into the lineup behind the plate for the series finale. Assuming Contreras makes it out of the contest OK, he'll likely shoulder a heavy workload at catcher the rest of the way.

Contreras (foot) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Wednesday's game against the Giants, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports. He'll bat fifth and start at catcher in the series finale.

As anticipated, Contreras was able to make it back from the IL in the minimum amount of time while making a speedy recovery from the strained right foot. Though Contreras' shaky health motivated the Cubs to acquire some extra catching insurance in the form of Martin Maldonado, the two-time All-Star is fully expected to take on the overwhelming share of starts behind the dish now that he's back on the active roster. The Cubs optioned infielder Addison Russell to Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move.

Higashioka was recalled by the Yankees on Wednesday.

Higashioka is needed to back up Austin Romine with Gary Sanchez landing on the injured list with a groin strain. Higashioka has gotten into 42 games with the Yankees over the last three seasons but done little at the plate, hitting .143/.209/.267.