MLB Player News

Grandal is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

With Grandal sitting out Sunday's afternoon contest, reserve catcher Austin Barnes will draw the start behind the plate. Expect Grandal to be back in the lineup Monday against the Cubs.

Mesoraco (hip, shoulder) homered for Double-A Pensacola on Saturday in his second start on his rehab assignment.

The Reds anticipate that Mesoraco will not need the full 20 days of his rehab assignment at Pensacola. They want to see him catch on three consecutive days without setbacks before they activate him, however.

Contreras is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

After catching the first two games of the series, Contreras will get the day off Sunday and be replaced by Miguel Montero. The 24-year-old will likely be behind the plate Monday against the Dodgers.

Rupp is not in the lineup for Sunday's contest against the Nationals, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Rupp will sit in favor of backup catcher Andrew Knapp on Sunday. Rupp is off to a 3-for-15 start after the first week of the season.

McCann is out of the lineup Sunday against the Red Sox.

Thanks to two of the Tigers' first three games of the season being rained out, McCann has been able to start behind the plate in all four of the team's contests thus far. He'll get a breather Sunday, though, after playing in three consecutive days. Alex Avila will assume catching duties in the afternoon contest, but expect to see McCann back out there for the series finale Monday.

The Yankees recalled Higashioka from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.

A strong spring training helped vault Higashioka up to third on the organizational depth chart at catcher, and with Gary Sanchez (biceps) landing on the DL, the 26-year-old will now get his first taste of the big leagues. The Yankees figure to hand Austin Romine the bulk of the starts behind the plate during Sanchez's absence, but Higashioka could cut into Romine's workload if he impresses in the initial opportunities he receives.

Realmuto went 3-for-6 with a triple, two RBI and a run against the Mets on Saturday.

He got to hit leadoff with Dee Gordon drawing a day off, and Realmuto kept his season-opening hot streak going with his fourth consecutive multi-hit game. Indeed, the young catcher's early returns have been fantastic -- he's put up four extra-base hits among his 10 total knocks, and he's got six RBI and runs apiece. Realmuto appears poised to outdo last year's already solid numbers, which means he should be a rock-solid starting catcher in just about any format.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, his third of the year, in Saturday's come-from-behind victory over Houston.

Perez's long ball put the icing on the cake of a six-run eighth inning for Kansas City. The home run also marked the first time in Perez's career that he's gone deep in three straight games. He's 6-for-19 with a walk through the first five games of 2017.

Higashioka will be called up to the Yankees, Sweeney Murti of Sportsradio 66 WFAN reports.

With Gary Sanchez, the Yankees' starting catcher, headed to the 10-day DL with a biceps strain, Higashioka will join the big-league club to fill the void left by him. While most of the starts behind the dish will go to Austin Romine, the 26-year-old should see occasional opportunities. The move will be made official once Sanchez is placed on the 10-day DL.

Manager Joe Girardi said Sanchez (biceps) will be placed on the 10-day disabled list, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Sanchez was forced to leave Saturday's game after awkwardly fouling off a pitch, and it appears the right biceps strain he suffered will require a stint on the DL. Kyle Higashioka will be called up to fill the catching void left by Sanchez, though Austin Romine will likely see the bulk of starts in his place. Given that the injury was to Sanchez's throwing arm, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Yankees were cautious with his recovery, but his status will be updated once the team provides some sort of timetable for his return.