MLB Player News

Gomes is not in the lineup Monday against the Tigers.

Gomes will take a seat for the second straight game as Roberto Perez takes over behind the dish. The 29-year-old should continue to see the bulk of action behind the plate despite his .176/.276/.275 slash line.

Stewart will start at catcher and bat eighth in the order Monday against the Reds, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

With Francisco Cervelli (foot) nursing a foot injury, Stewart will be behind the dish for the second day in a row after going 1-for-3 with a walk in Sunday's game against the Marlins. Cervelli has said that he doesn't expect to land on the disabled list, so if that holds true, Stewart will only be in line for a short-term run as the Pirates' primary option behind the plate.

D'Arnaud (back) is batting seventh and playing catcher Monday against the Braves.

After getting Sunday's game off with back tightness, d'Arnaud is back in the lineup. The 28-year-old will look to turn things around at the plate Monday, as he has just two hits (albeit home runs, with both coming in the same game) in his last 22 at-bats.

Vazquez is out of the lineup Monday against the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

With three straight starts heading into the series opener, Vazquez appears to have taken over as the Red Sox's primary option behind the plate, but he'll give way to Sandy Leon on Monday. Vazquez is a top-flight defender, but his 14-for-34 showing at the dish through the first month of the season has been the main reason he's catapulted Leon on the depth chart.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup Monday against the Pirates.

Mesoraco is out of the lineup for the second straight game, though he did notch two at-bats and work a couple of innings behind the plate in Sunday's win over the Cardinals. The 28-year-old is on a strict playing-time schedule after appearing in just 39 games over the past two seasons, so seeing him get back-to-back days off shouldn't be too surprising. Tucker Barnhart will take over behind the dish for Mesoraco as the two continue to split time.

Perez sprinted out of the gate in 2017, hitting .272 with six home runs and 12 RBI through the season's first month.

The Royals' backstop leads AL catchers in home runs and is tied with Baltimore's Welington Castillo with 22 total hits. Perez's .837 OPS also tops the charts among that group. What's even more encouraging is that the veteran's .271 BABIP is uncharacteristically low, suggesting increased production is attainable.

Grandal went 3-for-4 with his fourth double of the season and a run scored in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Phillies.

Grandal has mostly gone downhill after his two-homer game on Opening Day, but Sunday's performance marked his first three-hit game of the season and helped him raise his average to .225. The 28-year-old's 30-homer power makes him a top-10 fantasy catcher, but unless they hold him in OBP leagues, his owners also will have to put up with prolonged slumps and a low average. His fantasy owners are hoping his three-hit Sunday will spark him going forward.

Rupp went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Dodgers.

It was Rupp's first three-hit game of the season and helped him raise his season slash line to .222/.328/.407. Rupp has decent power (16 homers in 105 games last year) but won't help fantasy owners out with a high average or decent on-base percentage. While he's Philly's main catching option, he's only worth owning in two-catcher mixed and deep NL-only leagues.

Sanchez hit a game-tying, pinch-hit, two-run home run in the ninth inning in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Giants.

Sanchez tied the score at two with his clutch dinger off Giants closer Mark Melancon in the ninth. The home run was just his second hit of the season, however, and he'll remain the backup to Austin Hedges. The switch-hitter doesn't have much fantasy value at all while his playing time is inconsistent.

Leon will regularly be held out of Boston's lineup for the foreseeable future, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports.

Sandy Leon has underperformed since the start of the year. He's hitting just .180 with a .476 OPS after having appeared in 14 games. Manager John Farrell said that moving forward, Leon will be the team's catcher when Chris Sale and Rick Porcello are scheduled to start, but Christian Vazquez figures to be the go-to backstop the rest of the time.