MLB Player News

Realmuto will bat in the leadoff spot Sunday against the Diamondbacks.

This is a bit of a unique spot for Realmuto, who will bat leadoff for just the seventh time this season. Oddly enough, the backstop owns just a .209 on-base percentage against left-handed pitching this season, although he does sport a .290 career mark. In any case, manager Don Mattingly will elect to get things going with Realmuto, while the regular leadoff man, lefty Derek Dietrich, bats seventh in the order.

Stewart left Saturday's game against the Cardinals in the seventh inning with a left foot injury following a collision at the plate, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Making his first start in place of Francisco Cervelli, who was placed on the DL earlier Saturday and ruled out for four-to-six weeks with a broken bone in his left hand, Stewart couldn't get out of the game with his health in tact. He had already been limping around prior to the game after fouling off two pitches on the foot earlier this week, and aggravated the injury after the collision. Stewart's departure forced the Pirates to throw Erik Kratz into the fire right away behind the plate, after the veteran catcher was acquired Saturday from the Angels. It's likely that Stewart will garner the majority of the starts while Cervelli is out, but if Stewart's foot injury ends up sidelining him, Kratz would be next in line for increased opportunities in the lineup.

D'Arnaud (shoulder) is expected to catch nine innings for High-A St. Lucie on Monday, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

D'Arnaud has been taking reps primarily as the DH in his rehab assignment, but made his first start at catcher Saturday, and went 2-for-4 at the dish in the effort. It now looks as if the young backstop is starting to pick up the pace, and a return to the majors within seven-to-eight days is apparently a realistic possibility, according to Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. If d'Arnaud can bring any offense to the Mets, it will surely be an upgrade on the current situation, as the team isn't getting much offense out of either Rene Rivera (.143) or Kevin Plawecki (.204).

Realmuto blasted a solo home run in Saturday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

Realmuto's fourth inning solo shot gave the Marlins a two run lead that starter Jose Fernandez could not hold. The blast was just his third on the year, but is coupled with a very solid .305/.335/.415 slash line over 200 at-bats. The catcher has also chipped in three steals while scoring 22 runs and driving home 16 RBI on the year.

McCann is out of the lineup against the Yankees.

It's a routine day off for McCann, who has taken back regular duties behind the plate since getting activated from the DL a month ago. With McCann resting Sunday, Jarrod Saltalamacchia will be behind the plate, catching Tigers starter Michael Fulmer.

Barnhart is out of the lineup Sunday against the Athletics.

Consider it a typical maintenance day for Barnhart, who was behind the plate for the first two games of the series, going 3-for-6 with a double and a walk. Ramon Cabrera will spell him at catcher Sunday.

Leon celebrated his first major league start of 2016 by going 4-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Saturday's 15-4 victory over the Twins.

Having just been called up from Triple-A Pawtucket last Sunday to fill the vacancies prompted by injuries to Ryan Hanigan (neck) and Blake Swihart (ankle), Leon broke out in fine fashion in his first start. The 27-year-old had also tallied a pinch-hit double on Tuesday versus the Giants, so he maintains a perfect 1.000 average after Saturday's effort. If Leon's two previous major league stints are any indication, the success is likely fleeting, as he's hit just .156 and .184, respectively, over the last two seasons with the Nationals and Red Sox.

Gomes is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Angels.

Gomes made his return Friday following a two-game absence, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout to drop his average to .172. He's managed one home run in his last 16 games. Chris Gimenez will take over behind the dish Saturday.

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Saturday's game with Minnesota, reports">Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reports.

Vazquez will sit in place of Sandy Leon, who is making his 2016 major league debut behind the dish. Vazquez was due for an off day as he's seen action in seven straight games and 16 of the last 18. He'll likely be back in the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Twins.

Leon is getting the start behind the plate against Minnesota on Saturday, batting ninth, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reports.

Leon was promoted to the big leagues last week with Ryan Hanigan (neck) and Blake Swihart (ankle) landing on the DL and is now receiving his first major league start of the 2016 season. He'll replace fellow Red Sox catcher, Christian Vazquez, who is receiving a rest day after seven straight games of action.