MLB Player News

Vazquez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Angels, Scott Lauber of ESPN.com reports.

With a .177 batting average since the beginning of June, Vazquez's hot start to the season has looked like a distant memory, and may have allowed Sandy Leon to carve out a larger portion in the timeshare at catcher. Leon will be behind the plate Sunday for the fourth time in six games.

Mesoraco is out of the lineup Sunday against the Marlins.

Mesoraco is feeling healthy again after a back issue sidelined him for about two weeks, but the Reds will continue to act conservatively with his workload this season due to his extensive injury history. He'll sit Sunday for the third time in five days, affording Tucker Barnhart a start behind the plate.

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup Sunday against the A's, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

On the heels of a three-hit performance Saturday, d'Arnaud will get the day off after starting the first two games of the series. Rene Rivera will take over behind the plate.

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

After back-to-back starts behind the plate, Realmuto will head to the bench for the afternoon series finale. A.J. Ellis will man the backstop in his stead.

Realmuto went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI during Saturday's win.

Realmuto is providing high-end numbers from the catcher position with a .305/.361/.475 slash line, 10 homers, 39 RBI, five stolen bases and 41 runs. He entered Saturday's game with the fourth-most plate appearances (328) among all catchers, so his hefty role also provides a high fantasy floor.

D'Arnaud went 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run during Saturday's win over the Athletics.

The backstop hasn't moved the fantasy needle outside of deep fantasy settings, and his .241/.302/.449 slash line isn't overly encouraging. Still, nine home runs, 31 RBI and 24 runs over just 205 plate appearances is serviceable production from the catcher position.

Rupp went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer, a walk and two runs Saturday against the Brewers.

Rupp's seventh home run of the year came in the eighth inning to fully erase what once was a seven-run deficit for the Phillies. Although he carries a weak batting average, his ability to hit an occasional homer gives him value in leagues that require two starting catchers.

Mejia, 21, is day-to-day at Double-A Akron with a hip strain, Chris Assenheimer of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

He has not played since Thursday, but it sounds like he may not require a stint on the 7-day DL for the RubberDucks. Mejia, the best catching prospect in the game, is hitting .320/.368/.525 with 10 home runs and five steals in 270 plate appearances. He has an exemplary 35:19 K:BB, despite being much younger than the typical player in the Eastern League.

McGuire (knee) was removed from Double-A New Hampshire's disabled list to begin a rehab assignment at the Jays complex in Dunedin.

The catcher had surgery in May to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee. McGuire, 22, scorched an RBI double during his first rehab game Friday in the Gulf Coast League. A first-round pick in 2013 by the Pirates, McGuire has yet to break through offensively over 370 career at-bats in Double-A, but he's still considered one of the organization's top catching prospects.

Sanchez is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's tilt with the Giants.

The 27-year-old backstop has been hitting well since taking over for Austin Hedges (concussion) behind the plate, going 8-for-22 with three home runs over his last five starts, but gets the day off after catching all 11 innings in Friday's win. Luis Torrens will fill in at catcher, batting eighth.