MLB Player News

Mejia is catching and hitting eighth against the Rockies on Tuesday.

Mejia slots in for Austin Hedges for the second game of this series with Colorado. The 23-year-old hasn't gotten going yet at the plate coming off a standout spring training that saw him log a 1.005 OPS, as he's hitting just .160 over his first 25 at-bats. He'll look to get on track against Rockies starter Jon Gray.

Hedges isn't in Tuesday's starting lineup against the Rockies.

Hedges has taken a seat for two of the team's last three games, although he showed some life at the dish Monday by collecting a pair of base hits, including a double. Francisco Mejia will draw the start behind the dish Tuesday with Hedges riding the pine.

Maldonado was scratched from the lineup for undisclosed reasons Tuesday against the White Sox, Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City reports.

Cam Gallagher will start behind the plate in his absence. Maldonado is hitting just .195 on the season.

Bart has been diagnosed with a fractured left hand and is expected to miss the next 4-to-6 weeks, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Bart exited Monday night's minor-league game after getting drilled by a pitch on the hand, and the injury will result in an extended absence for one of San Francisco's top prospects. The good news is that the fracture is on Bart's non-throwing hand, which should make for a quicker recovery.

Higashioka will hit the bench against the Red Sox on Tuesday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The 28-year-old started the Yankees' previous two games with Austin Romine getting a break, but he'll hit the bench for the club's opener against the Red Sox. He went 1-for-5 with an RBI in those two games after getting called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and figures to see a part-time role filling in on off-days for Romine while Gary Sanchez (calf) is on the injured list.

Gomes is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Giants, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Gomes recorded a base knock in each of his first five games of 2019, but he's struggled at the dish since and is now 0-for-8 over his past two contests. In an effort to get him going at the plate, the Phillies will give him a day off to regroup, opening the door for Kurt Suzuki to nab a start behind the dish.

Vazquez is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Yankees, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

The Red Sox shuffled their catcher situation Tuesday, designating Blake Swihart for assignment and selecting Sandy Leon's contract. It remains to be seen how Vazquez and Leon will split time moving forward. Leon gets the call Tuesday, catching Chris Sale.

Narvaez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a loss to the Indians on Monday.

Narvaez got the Mariners tantalizingly close in the eighth, launching the second homer of the frame to cut Seattle's deficit down to one run. Although the comeback ultimately fell short, the veteran backstop's work at the plate provided reason for optimism once again. Narvaez has now hit safely in six of his last eight games, a sample that includes one pinch-hit appearance.

Wallach went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Monday's loss to the Cubs.

The catcher took Yu Darvish deep in the fourth inning for his first homer of the year. Jorge Alfaro (chest) is banged up at the moment, so Wallach could see consistent at-bats in the short term. He's taken advantage of his opportunities so far, slashing .333/.462/.524 in eight games, but the 27-year-old's .619 career OPS indicates the bottom could drop out in a hurry.

Stallings isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Tigers.

The Pirates made liberal use of No. 2 catcher Elias Diaz last season, but Stallings hasn't been extended the same opportunity while Diaz has been stuck on the injured list all season while working back from an illness. He'll remain on the bench for the third straight game while top backstop Francisco Cervelli sticks in the lineup. Stallings has drawn just two starts through the PIrates' first 15 contests.