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Austin Hedges C | CLE
Padres' Austin Hedges: Resting for 7-to-10 days
Hedges (elbow) will rest for 7-to-10 days before possibly resuming activity, Dennis Lin of The Athletic San Diego reports.
This essentially rules out Hedges from returning to action after the minimum stay on the disabled list. If he's not feeling better at the end of the rest period, he will undergo further testing on his ailing elbow. Look for an update on his status next week.
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Martin Maldonado C | SD
Angels' Martin Maldonado: Stationed on bench Friday
Maldonado is not in the lineup against the Mariners on Friday.
Maldonado will get the day off after starting the past three games behind the plate. In his place, Rene Rivera will catch and bat ninth in the order. Expect Maldonado back in the lineup Saturday.
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Christian Vazquez C | HOU
Red Sox's Christian Vazquez: Not in Friday's lineup
Vazquez is out of the lineup against the Rangers on Friday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.
Vazquez will receive a standard day off after going 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI during Thursday's loss. In his place, Sandy Leon will catch and bat ninth. Expect Vazquez back in the lineup Saturday.
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Logan Moore C | PHI
Phillies' Logan Moore: Out with shin bruise
Moore is on the disabled list with a right shin contusion, The Athletic Philadelphia reports.
The Phillies have three catchers at the Triple-A level, so it's possible that the injury is just an excuse to clear space on a crowded roster. The 27-year-old is a candidate to fill a bench role if one of the Phillies' major-league catchers gets injured, but he has just a .234/.299/.351 line in parts of four seasons at the Triple-A level, so his fantasy value will likely be minimal if he ever gets called up.
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Christian Vazquez C | HOU
Red Sox's Christian Vazquez: On modest hit streak
Vazquez has a three-game hitting streak after going 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored in Thursday's 11-5 loss to the Rangers.
The three-game run pushed Vazquez back up to the Mendoza Line (.200), as the catcher is making nowhere near the impact he did in 2017. His BABIP has tanked this season, so fantasy owners can hang a hat on good luck coming back to Vazquez, but there's also the real possibility that he isn't the .290 hitter we saw in 2017 and closer to the .233 hitter the previous two seasons. At any rate, Vazquez will continue to play regularly, per Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald, as manager Alex Cora indicated no changes are coming for Boston's catchers, which rank last in MLB with a -0.7 WAR.
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Austin Barnes C | NYM
Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Hits first home run
Barnes went 1-for-2 with two walks, a solo home run and two runs scored Thursday against the Diamondbacks.
Barnes took advantage of an opportunity to start behind the plate, driving his first home run of the season to left field. He has seen sporadic playing time with only 46 at-bats through 31 games. While he has an ugly .196 batting average, he has been able to get on base at a .413 clip and has walked more than he has struck out. However, due to his limited playing time, he is tough to roster outside of deep two-catcher leagues.
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Salvador Perez DH | KC
Royals' Salvador Perez: Two extra-base hits against Tigers
Perez went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run homer in Thursday's win over Detroit.
He also drew a walk and scored two of the Royals' 10 runs. The homer was his second in 11 games since he was activated from the disabled list. Perez's late-March knee injury was a buzzkill, but fantasy owners are now reaping the benefits with Perez playing close to every day and batting .304/.340/.500.
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Carlos Perez C | HOU
Rangers' Carlos Perez: Added to active roster
Perez was added to the Rangers' official roster Thursday.
Texas designated Juan Centeno for assignment to clear a roster spot for the recently acquired Perez. It should be noted that Perez's calling card is his defensive prowess rather than his bat; Perez was just 3-for-21 at the dish before being DFA'd by the Braves last week. He'll immediately be available and should slide into a role as Robinson Chirinos' backup.
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Yasmani Grandal C | PIT
Dodgers' Yasmani Grandal: Not in Thursday's lineup
Grandal is out of the lineup against Arizona on Thursday, Alanna Rizzo of SportsNet LA reports.
Grandal will retreat to the bench for a standard day off following five straight starts behind the plate. In his place, Austin Barnes will catch Alex Wood and bat fifth in the order.
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Martin Maldonado C | SD
Angels' Martin Maldonado: Breaks out of slump in big way
Maldonado fell a triple short of the cycle Wednesday, going 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBI and three runs scored in a 10-7 win over Baltimore.
It was Maldonado's second consecutive three-hit performance following a rough 0-for-33 stretch over his previous 11 games. The veteran backstop is still slashing a meager .222/.309/.319 this season, with his defensive abilities keeping him in the lineup on a regular basis.