MLB Player News

Gomes is not in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Tigers, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Gomes has made three straight starts behind the plate, but will give way to Chris Gimenez for Wednesday's matinee affair. Since snapping a six-game hitting streak Tuesday, Gomes is just 2-for-24 at the plate to bring his season average down to .175.

Leon will catch at least three out of every five games, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

With Ryan Hanigan rejoining the Red Sox after a stint on the disabled list and Christian Vazquez optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket, manager John Farrell sees Leon has the team's primary catcher. With that said, Hanigan will be in the box Wednesday night when knuckleballer and AL All-Star Steven Wright pitches.

Stallings has been designated for assignment by the Pirates, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old Stallings has struggled this season between Triple-A Indianapolis and the big leagues. Stallings has always had struggles with his bat as he moved through the ranks in the minor leagues. Steven Brault took Stallings' spot on the Pirates' roster.

Leon went 4-for-5 with three doubles and a run in Monday's 12-5 victory over Texas. In 15 games since he was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket, he's 20-for-40 with nine extra-base hits and nine RBI.

Leon was an emergency addition a month ago after both Ryan Hanigan (neck) and Blake Swihart (ankle) were injured in the same game. One month later, his unprecedented fluency with the bat has earned him a spot on Boston's roster going forward. Out of minor league options, Leon would likely have been claimed if the Red Sox wanted to send him back to Pawtucket, so when Hanigan was activated off the DL on Monday the organization chose to keep Leon and option Christian Vazquez to Triple-A. Be aware that Leon's career MLB average prior to this season was .186, so his surge in 2016 should be viewed with great circumspection. He and Hanigan will share the catching job for the time being.

D'Arnaud hit his first home run as part of a 3-for-4 game with two runs scored and two RBI in Monday's win over the Marlins.

After hitting 12 home runs in just 67 games, d'Arnaud needed 24 to get on the board in 2016. This marks just his fourth extra-base hit in 89 plate appearances, so he's going to need to get into an extended hot streak before we can really believe his power is back to where it used to be. After hitting .268/.340/.485 last year, his batting line is just .268/.326/.341 in 2016.

Realmuto went 4-for-4 with a run scored and a walk in Monday's loss to the Mets.

Realmuto now has a seven-game hitting streak, with four of those games including multiple hits. This marks Realmuto's second four-hit game in the past month as he continues to establish himself as one of the best hitters for contact at the catcher position. His batting average his now up to .325, behind only Wilson Ramos among qualified catchers.

Vazquez was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Vazquez had been finding some comfort at the plate of late, going 5-for-13 with one RBI in his past five games. No matter, Ryan Hanigan (neck) has been activated from the DL, which will relegate Vazquez to the minors for the time being.

Maldonado got the start behind the plate Monday and went 1-for-3 with a solo shot in a 1-0 win over the Nationals.

The two teams combined for just seven hits all game and Maldonado's was the only one that wasn't a single. Playing time remains scarce for the Brewers' backup catcher but two of his three homers on the season have come in the last eight days, which might encourage manager Craig Counsell to put Maldonado's name on the lineup card a little more often.

Diaz (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment Monday for High-A Brandenton, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

If Diaz were healthy, there's a good chance he'd be with the Major League club at the moment, as both Francisco Cervelli (hand) and Chris Stewart (knee) are on the disabled list. Instead, the team had to claim Eric Fryer off waivers to ensure positional depth. That being said, the Pirates will likely keep a close eye on the 25-year-old's rehab assignment, as he could be an option for the team following the All-Star break. He has yet to play this season, however, so a somewhat lengthy rehab assignment could be on tap.

Stewart was placed on the 15-day DL on Monday with left knee discomfort.

The Pirates had been anticipating this move, as Stewart had been held out of the starting lineup on back-to-back days. The team also went ahead and claimed Eric Fryer off waivers from St. Louis, who will be activated Monday in a corresponding move. As long as the ailment doesn't turn out to be too serious, Stewart should be back with the Pirates shortly after the All-Star break when he's first eligible.