MLB Player News

McCann went 1-for-2 and hit a home run for the second straight game in Saturday's win over the Red Sox.

McCann launched a career-high 12 home runs in 2016, and he could top that number this season with regular playing time. Alex Avila will snag a few starts here and there, but McCann should be behind the plate most days, and he could be a sneaky play if he keeps this up.

Sanchez left Saturday's game with a right biceps strain, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports.

He left after oddly suffering the injury while fouling off a pitch. Sanchez was holding his arm limp at his side after suffering the injury, so it seems likely to be more than just a day-to-day issue. Austin Romine, who replaced Sanchez on Saturday, will presumably get the bulk of the starts behind the dish while Sanchez is out. Kyle Higashioka could be recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre if Sanchez requires a DL stint. His status will be updated when the team provides a timetable for his return, but he should be considered out indefinitely for now.

Sanchez left Saturday's game in the top of the fifth inning with an apparent right wrist injury after fouling off a pitch, Newsday's David Lennon reports. He was 0-for-2 with a strikeout prior to exiting.

The fact that Sanchez left the game immediately is not a great sign, as Austin Romine came in to replace him. Sanchez's status will be updated as soon as the team comments on the injury, but it didn't look good.

Gomes is out of the lineup Saturday against the Diamondbacks, FanRag Sports' Jack Magruder reports.

This will be the second time in the season's first five games that he is not in the lineup, but he actually received a pinch-hit appearance in the previous game, so he has appeared in every Indians game so far in 2017. Roberto Perez will get the start behind the dish and hit eighth in the National League park.

Realmuto will lead off Saturday against the Mets, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

After getting the day off Friday, Realmuto is back behind the dish Saturday while also sliding up to fill in for Dee Gordon at the top of the order. Manager Don Mattingly will look to ride the 26-year-old's scorching start to the season, as Realmuto is 7-for-12 with two homers and four RBI in the season's first week.

Leon is out of the starting lineup for Saturday's game against Detroit, Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald reports.

It appears to be a regular rest day for Leon and a chance for Christian Vazquez to get some work behind the plate. The switch-hitter is off to a sizzling start this season, going 5-for-12 with a home run, so he'll likely be back in the lineup for Sunday's contest.

Vazquez is in the starting lineup Saturday, catching and batting ninth, Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald reports.

It will be the season debut for Vazquez, currently serving in a backup role to Sandy Leon. The 26-year-old slashed .227/.277/.308 with 12 RBI in 57 games last season, his first since returning from an elbow injury that sidelined his 2015 campaign. Nonetheless, the team is excited about his defensive abilities -- he threw out five potential basestealers in spring training -- so he could be on track for more regular playing time.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season in Friday's loss to the Orioles.

Sanchez absolutely crushed what would prove to be Ubaldo Jimenez's final pitch of the night to put the Bombers up 5-1 in the fifth inning, though the Yankees would eventually end up squandering the lead in the losing effort. It's still far too early to draw conclusions about this season yet, but Friday's performance will likely serve to at least calm down those worried after the 24-year-old got off to a 1-for-14 start through the club's opening three games.

McCann went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk in Friday's win over the Red Sox.

McCann's first homer of 2017 gave the Tigers a 4-0 lead in the seventh inning of a game they'd eventually have to come back to win in the ninth. After seeing his home run output increase from seven in 2015 to 12 in 2016, the 26-year-old catcher certainly could continue to see his power rise as he enters his prime. With solid options at catcher being an issue for many fantasy owners, he could end up being a player that exceeds expectations this year.

Realmuto is not in the lineup Friday against the Mets, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

The 26-year-old catcher has been white hot to begin the season, putting up a 1.810 OPS through the first three games of the campaign. He'll head to the bench for a normal day of rest and cede the start to A.J. Ellis. Realmuto should be back in the lineup Saturday given his success at the plate.