MLB Player News

Plawecki will bat fifth and start at catcher Monday against the Phillies.

With Wilmer Flores unavailable due to a broken nose, the Mets don't have many viable middle-of-the-order options remaining on the roster, so Plawecki will slot into a more prominent spot in the lineup than he's received in his more recent appearances. Plawecki has earned the upgrade through his impressive play of late, which could soon allow him to usurp the struggling Travis d'Arnaud for the top spot on the depth chart at catcher. Since being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Aug. 19, Plawecki has posted an .805 OPS while striking out just three times in 31 at-bats.

Gomes is out of the lineup Monday against Detroit.

Gomes will take a seat for a second straight day while Roberto Perez handles the backstop duties. The latter has been heating up at the dish, and with Francisco Mejia part of the expanded roster, Gomes may very well see his playing time cut significantly down the stretch.

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup Monday against the Phillies.

With the Mets playing their second consecutive day game, d'Arnaud will be given a chance to rest up while Kevin Plawecki handles catching duties. D'Arnaud, who is batting just .194 over his last 10 games, could be at risk of falling into a timeshare behind the plate with Plawecki the rest of the season. Since being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Aug. 19, Plawecki is slashing .290/.353/.452.

Sanchez will begin serving a three-game suspension Monday for his role in a brawl between the Yankees and Tigers on Aug. 24, Sweeny Murti of Sports Radio 66 WFAN reports.

Sanchez was originally slapped with a four-game suspension, but it was appealed down to three games. He'll be eligible to return for the weekend series against the Rangers on Friday. In the meantime, Austin Romine and Erik Kratz will share duties behind the dish.

Perez went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a walk in Sunday's 11-1 shellacking of the Tigers.

Much like he did last year, the backup catcher is heating up late in the campaign. Since the start of August, Perez is hitting .317 with three home runs and 14 RBI through 15 games. His lack of consistent playing time makes him unusable in most leagues, but Perez is worth deploying in daily formats as long as he remains hot.

Stassi (hand) will be activated from the 10-day disabled list Monday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Stassi wrapped up a three-game rehab assignment Friday with Double-A Corpus Christi, during which he recorded four hits -- including two home runs -- in nine at-bats. Suffice to say, his left hand doesn't appear to be presenting any issues and shouldn't impact his availability when he rejoins the Astros, though it's unlikely Stassi will see much usage behind No. 1 catcher Brian McCann.

Vazquez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Yankees, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

He'll cede catching duties to Sandy Leon after starting three of the previous four contests. With a .330/.382/.489 batting line since the All-Star break, Vazquez is finally starting to gain a little separation in the job battle with Leon.

Realmuto is out of the lineup Sunday against the Phillies, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto has made six straight starts, alternating between first base and catcher over the last four games. He'll ride the pine for the series finale, however, as A.J. Ellis will get the nod behind the plate, while Tomas Telis draws the start at first base. Realmuto was 1-for-5 at the plate Saturday, though he did help fantasy owners by stealing two bases.

Stewart is out of the lineup Sunday against the Reds, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

While Francisco Cervelli (quadriceps) is on the DL, Stewart has drawn four of the last five starts behind the plate for Pittsburgh. Sunday will mark Stewart's second consecutive day out of the lineup, however, as the team will turn to Elias Diaz as it attempts to take the series from Cincinnati.

Gomes is out of the lineup Sunday against the Tigers.

Gomes is simply getting a breather for the day game after a night game, allowing Roberto Perez to pick up a start behind the plate. The Indians recalled top catching prospect Francisco Mejia on Friday when rosters expanded, but he has yet to start in any of the Tribe's four games since his promotion and doesn't look like he's a serious threat to Gomes' spot atop the depth chart just yet.