MLB Player News

Plawecki (hand) went to Florida to ramp up his rehab Monday, hoping to return to action by the end of May, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The catcher expects to spend at week at the team's spring complex hitting before beginning a rehab assignment. In his absence (as well as the absence of fellow catcher Travis d'Arnaud due to Tommy John surgery) the Mets have acquired Devin Mesoraco from the Reds, but Plawecki will likely return to a starting role once healthy.

Vazquez is not in the lineup against Toronto on Friday, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Vazquez will retreat to the bench after going 0-for-4 during Thursday's victory over the Yankees. In his stead, Sandy Leon will catch and bat ninth.

Sanchez is not in the lineup against Oakland on Friday.

Sanchez will get the day off after catching three straight games, as Andrew Romine will handle Sonny Gray's outing for the series opener. Expect to see Sanchez back in the lineup Saturday.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Thursday's loss to the Orioles.

Perez's grand slam looked to be the beginning of another huge output for the Royals, but they only managed two runs the rest of the game. According to Dave Holtzman of FOX Sports Kansas City, Perez is the first American League player to hit a grand slam on his birthday since Hideki Matsui accomplished that feat with the Yankees in 2008. Perez is slashing a strong .288/.319/.515 through 17 games this season. He and the Royals will continue their road trip Friday with a series against the division-rival Indians.

Stassi went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's win over the Athletics.

The solo shot -- Stassi's third homer of the year -- knotted up the score at 1-1 in a game Houston would eventually go on to win 4-1. The catcher is now hitting .273 and has multi-hit efforts in two straight, but he doesn't see regular enough at-bats to warrant much consideration outside of deeper leagues.

Contreras went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Marlins.

The young catcher had been in a slump, as he came into Wednesday 2-for-24 over his previous six games. However, he's now riding a modest three-game hitting streak, and perhaps the three-hit outburst is a sign of a hot stretch on the horizon.

Vazquez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez will receive a standard day off for maintenance purposes after going 1-for-4 during Tuesday's defeat. Sandy Leon will catch Rick Porcello and bat ninth in the order.

Maldonado is not in the lineup Wednesday in Colorado.

The veteran catcher is hitting .218 through 24 games, exactly in line with his career mark. Rene Rivera will start in his place Wednesday.

Realmuto is out of the lineup against the Cubs on Wednesday, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Realmuto will receive a rare day off following 15 straight starts as Bryan Holaday gets the nod behind the plate for Wednesday's series finale. Expect Realmuto back in the lineup Thursday.

Gomes is out of the lineup against the Brewers on Wednesday.

Roberto Perez will catch Carlos Carrasco during the second game of a two-game set in Milwaukee after Gomes started the past two contests. Over 24 appearances this year, Gomes is hitting .244/.323/.430 with four home runs and eight RBI, to go along with a career-high 35.4 percent strikeout rate.