MLB Player News

Leon (personal) will be activated from the paternity list ahead of Monday's game against the Astros, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

The Red Sox will presumably send fellow catcher Oscar Hernandez down to the minors after Sunday's series finale against Houston to clear a spot on the active roster for Leon. Once he's formally reinstated, Leon will reprise his normal duties as the backup to top backstop Christian Vazquez.

Hedges is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Hedges stumbled through the first three games of the series by going 1-for-9 with six strikeouts and a walk, and he will take a seat for the finale. Austin Allen will start behind the plate and bat sixth Sunday.

Maldonado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.

Maldonado will receive a breather after catching eight innings in Saturday's 5-2 loss. Cam Gallagher checks in for him behind the dish.

McCann is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

McCann has gone hitless in nine at-bats over his last three starts but is still sitting on a robust .347 average for the season. His performance so far this season should give him plenty of security in his role as the White Sox's top backstop, though he'll rest in the series finale in favor of Welington Castillo.

Realmuto is not in the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Rockies.

Realmuto started the first two games of the series but will head to the bench for the finale, with Andrew Knapp taking his place behind the dish. Realmuto has slowed down a bit since the start of May with a .245/.281/.358 slash line in 14 games.

Barnes is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Barnes busted out with two hits in each of the past two games but will nonetheless take a seat for the series finale. Russell Martin will start behind the plate and bat eighth in his stead.

Casali will catch and bat eighth in Sunday's series finale against the Dodgers.

The start is Casali's third in the last four games as Tucker Barnhart continues to struggle at the plate (.081 average in May). Casali is 10-for-30 over his last 12 games, helping lead to more opportunities.

Barnhart is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Barnhart's Gold Glove-caliber defense hasn't been enough to keep him in the lineup lately, as he'll sit for the third time in four games. Over 122 plate appearances, Barnhart is batting a career-low .163 while striking out 25.4 percent of the time, a seven-point increase from his 2018 mark. Curt Casali will once again replace Barnhart behind the plate.

Diaz collected three hits, including an RBI single, in a 7-2 win over the Padres on Saturday.

The big game lifted his batting average over the .200 mark (.204) for the first time in 2019. Diaz started his third straight game Saturday. Given his improved recent play -- he's 5-for-12 with a walk since Thursday -- the catcher could move into a timeshare with starter Francisco Cervelli in a setup similar to 2018. Diaz is still looking for his first home run after hitting 10 homers last season.

Vazquez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Astros.

The 28-year-old catcher continues to rake in May. Vazquez is now hitting .457 (16-for-35) through 11 games on the month with three doubles and two homers, and his six long balls on the year is already a new career high. The hot streak has boosted his slash line on the season to a shocking .309/.358/.536.