MLB Player News

McCann is out of the lineup Sunday against the Twins, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Though he was behind the plate for the first two games of the series, McCann remains stuck in a timeshare at catcher with Alex Avila, who receives the nod Sunday. McCann has warmed up lately with a homer and four walks over the last four games, so he at least seems to have the upper hand in the competition between the two backstops.

Mesoraco (hip, shoulder) got knocked in the knee a couple of days ago in a game at Double-A Pensacola, and the team is monitoring his status with that in addition to his hip and shoulder before activating him from the DL, Zach Buchanan from the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

On the bright side, Mesoraco was able to catch a full game the day after the incident. On the down side, Mesoraco isn't hitting very well against Double-A pitching during his rehab assignment, with a .167/.268/.250 line over 41 plate appearances. While we can say stats don't matter on a rehab assignment, it's been over two years since Mesoraco has had a healthy season in the majors, so his performance off of his breakout 2014 season is far from guaranteed.

Leon is out of the lineup Sunday against the Orioles, Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

After recording five hits in 10 at-bats in the Red Sox's first two games of the season, Leon has experienced a major slump at the dish, going 4-for-36 (.111 average). Leon's ongoing struggles may have paved the way for Christian Vazquez to turn the catching situation into a timeshare, as Vazquez will now pick up his third start in the last six games.

Rupp is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Braves.

Rupp has settled into a routine of starting two-to-three consecutive games before receiving a scheduled day of rest. After starting the team's past two contests, Rupp will head to the bench Sunday in favor of backup catcher Andrew Knapp.

Jackson is hitting .338/.358/.677 with six home runs for High-A Florida.

Jackson has moved back behind the plate as he's played seven games at catcher and nine at DH. The former first-round pick has been a disappointment in his minor-league career so far with just a career .753 OPS. However, it looks like a switch of organizations and positions my revitalize his career.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.

After assuming catching duties for the Cubs' last three games, Contreras will be given a breather in the series finale, opening up a start for Miguel Montero. Contreras busted out of a 3-for-19 skid in a major way Saturday, going 3-for-4 with a grand slam and three runs scored in the victory.

Sanchez (biceps) took swings Saturday for the first time since landing on the DL, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

The swings were both off a tee and in "tee and toss," and the catcher was also able to throw from 60 and 90 feet earlier Saturday. Per manager Joe Girardi, the next steps for Sanchez will be to take part in batting practice and throw from 120 feet, as the Yankees believe the lingering effects of the biceps strain could be more of an issue for when he throws rather than swinging. There's still no firm timetable for his return and the club will likely play it cautiously with its prized prospect, but Sanchez could progress to rehab games once he's gotten some batting practice sessions under his belt.

D'Arnaud is still experiencing wrist pain and may remain out Sunday against the Nationals, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

D'Arnaud has been out since Thursday with a wrist injury, but has made a couple appearances as a pinch hitter since then. Although his health is good enough for him to hit, he may not be quite ready to resume his catching duties. If d'Arnaud remains out Sunday, Rene Rivera will likely get the nod to start behind the dish.

Perez was scratched from Saturday's lineup against the Rangers with a stiff neck, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star reports.

News regarding the severity of the ailment should be available in the near future, but consider Perez day-to-day heading into Sunday's game against Texas. With Perez sitting out, Drew Butera will get the nod to start behind the plate.

Grandal is out of Saturday's lineup against the Diamondbacks, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports.

Grandal is a switch hitter, but the Dodgers are going with right-handed Austin Barnes behind the dish in a lineup that includes just one left-handed hitter (Joc Pederson) against southpaw Robbie Ray. Grandal is hitting .250/.377/.432 with two home runs through 44 at-bats.