MLB Player News

Vazquez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Rangers, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Vazquez and Sandy Leon have alternated starts at catcher the last six games, and that trend seems likely to continue all season unless one of the two backstops catches fire at the plate. Though he has contributed more offensively than Leon so far, Vazquez's .193 average and zero home runs in 96 plate appearances have made it difficult to justify rostering him outside of AL-only or two-catcher mixed leagues.

Grandal is out of the lineup Sunday against the Padres.

Grandal hasn't recorded a base hit in the month of May, and went 0-for-8 at the dish while starting the first two games of the series. He'll get what appears to be a regular day off to clear his head, with Austin Barnes in line to man the backstop.

Garver is out of the lineup Sunday against the White Sox, Dan Hayes of The Athletic Minnesota reports.

For at least the next week and a half, Garver looks like he'll be the Twins' primary catcher following Jason Castro's (knee) placement on the 10-day disabled list Saturday due to a partially torn meniscus. If Castro is unable to avoid surgery like the Twins are hoping he will, Garver's run as the No. 1 backstop could last multiple weeks, if not months. Garver will only sit out the series finale for routine maintenance after logging all nine innings behind the dish in Saturday's win, going 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in that contest.

McCann is out of the lineup Sunday against the Royals.

With McCann getting a breather following six consecutive starts behind the dish, Grayson Greiner, who was called up from Triple-A Toledo on Saturday, will make his first MLB appearance behind the dish. Neither Greiner nor John Hicks remains a serious threat to McCann's status as the Tigers' No. 1 catcher, especially with McCann having turned in five multi-hit efforts within the past two weeks.

Maile will start at catcher and bat eighth Sunday against the Rays, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

It's the third starting assignment in four games for Maile, who has earned the extra work by slashing a blistering .319/.407/.404 in limited action this season. Maile has struck out in 29.6 percent of his plate appearances and owns a .484 BABIP, so it's difficult to envision him sustaining much offensive success for the long haul. Once Maile's bat predictably cools off, his starting opportunities should fall by the wayside, allowing Russell Martin to take on a larger portion of the playing time behind the plate.

Barnhart is not in the lineup Saturday against the Marlins.

Barnhart has started 23 of the Reds' first 33 games, a fairly standard workload for a starting catcher. The 27-year-old is hitting a respectable .224/.346/.353 with a pair of home runs. Devin Mesoraco will get the start in his place.

Moore (lower leg) will catch and bat seventh for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday.

Moore was forced to spend a little time on the disabled list but will be back in action for the first time since April 25 against Rochester on Saturday. Over 11 games with the IronPigs this season, he's hitting just .121/.216/.152.

Gomes is out of the lineup against the Yankees on Saturday.

Gomes will receive a standard day off for maintenance purposes after going 1-for-3 with two runs scored during Friday's loss. Roberto Perez will take his place behind the dish for Saturday's matinee.

Sanchez is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against Cleveland.

Sanchez will retreat to the bench following 13 straight starts in the lineup as Austin Romine will handle the assignment behind the plate for Sonny Gray. Over 29 games this season, Sanchez is hitting .205/.288/.518 with nine home runs and 28 RBI.

Maldonado was placed on the bereavement list Friday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

This explains why Maldonado isn't in the lineup Friday. MLB rules require a three-day minimum absence, with seven days being the longest absence allowed. He'll be replaced on the active roster by Juan Graterol.