MLB Player News

Contreras will get the day off Thursday against the Pirates.

Contreras has started the season on the right foot, hitting .276 with three homers. Victor Caratini will get the start behind the plate in his absence.

Vazquez is not in the lineup Thursday against the Blue Jays.

Vazquez remains the primary catcher behind the plate in Boston, starting eight games to Blake Swihart's five. Swihart is doing what he can to change that, hitting .353 while Vazquez is hitting just .185, and the pair has been alternating starts over the last eight games. The balance could continue to shift in Swihart's favor should that pattern continue.

Perez is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers.

He'll retreat to the bench on getaway day, affording Kevin Plawecki a turn behind the plate for the first time in the series. Relatively speaking, Perez has been wielding a hot bat of late with four hits -- including a home run -- and three RBI over 12 at-bats, but his career .205/.297/.340 slash line offers a more accurate picture of what to expect from him moving forward.

Barnes is not in Thursday's lineup against the Cardinals.

In the matinee in St. Louis, Barnes will head to the bench after starting four of the last five games. He hit two home runs and logged five hits in the first three games of the season, but he's 3-for-16 (albeit with five walks) over his last six games. Rocky Gale starts at catcher and will hit eighth.

Narvaez is not in Thursday's lineup against the Royals, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

He had started the last four games and will get a rest during Thursday's matinee. Narvaez is hitting .342 with two home runs over his last 38 at-bats. Tom Murphy will start behind the dish, hitting eighth.

Barnhart is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Marlins.

Barnhart is just getting some routine maintenance for a day game after a night game. Curt Casali will check in behind the plate and work in a battery with Sonny Gray.

Barnes is starting at catcher and hitting eighth against the Cardinals on Wednesday.

It's the second straight start for the 29-year-old, and with Russell Martin (back) hitting the injured list on Wednesday, Barnes figures to carry the majority of the load at the position for as long as his veteran teammate is out. Rocky Gale was called up and will serve as the backup to Barnes.

Sanchez (legs) is available to pinch hit Wednesday against the Astros, Coley Harvey of ESPN.com reports.

Sanchez has been dealing with some tightness in his leg recently, which explains why he was limited to DH duties Tuesday and left out of the lineup altogether Wednesday. The backstop didn't seem too worried about the issue -- a notion confirmed by his availability off the bench -- and said he expects to return to the lineup Friday against the White Sox, per Meredith Marakovits of YES Network. In the meantime, Austin Romine is starting at backstop and hitting eighth.

Sanchez is not in the lineup Wednesday against Houston.

Sanchez was the designated hitter in Tuesday's game due to unspecified tightness, James Wagner of The New York Times reports. It's unclear whether that's the cause of his absence Wednesday or if he's simply due for a routine day off. With no game Thursday and seemingly no serious injury worries, Sanchez should be considered likely return to the lineup Friday against the White Sox.

Maldonado is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Mariners.

Maldonado will head to the bench for Wednesday's night game with an afternoon contest on the docket Thursday. The backstop, who is 6-for-31 (.194) through nine games this season, will give way to Cameron Gallagher behind the dish in this one.