MLB Player News

Leon is not in the lineup for Friday's game at Tampa Bay, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Leon will head to the bench for the fourth time in the last eight games as Blake Swihart again starts behind the plate for the Red Sox. Leon is 3-for-31 over his last 11 games (nine starts) as his offensive struggles continue.

Jansen is not starting Friday against the Phillies, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The young catcher has gone 8-for-23 in seven games since getting called up. Russell Martin will catch for the first time in a week in Jansen's place.

Sanchez (groin) hasn't yet begun his rehab assignment despite the initial plan being for him to start it Thursday, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Sanchez wasn't in the lineup for the Yankees' GCL affiliates on either Thursday or Friday. There haven't been reports of a setback, so it's possible that the team has simply elected to give him a few more days to rest, though as recently as Wednesday manager Aaron Boone was saying that his catcher would begin his assignment Thursday. The groin injury has been a troublesome one for Sanchez, as he returned from it July 20 only to head back to the disabled list three games later, so the Yankees certainly have reason to be cautious.

Garver is not in the lineup against Oakland on Thursday.

Garver will retreat to the bench after going 1-for-4 during Wednesday's loss to the White Sox. In his absence, Bobby Wilson will pick up a start behind the plate.

Perez is out of the lineup Thursday against the Royals, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Perez will give way to Jesus Sucre behind the dish for Thursday's series finale after catching the previous three games, going 3-for-11 with three runs scored over those starts. The 26-year-old is hitting .288/.317/.390 with one homer and four RBI through his first 19 big-league games.

McCann is not in the lineup against the White Sox on Thursday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

McCann will head to the bench for a standard breather following three straight starts behind the dish. In his absence, Grayson Greiner will handle the catching duties and bat seventh.

Gomes is out of the lineup versus the Red Sox on Thursday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Gomes will receive a standard breather after starting the first three games of this series, during which he's gone 5-for-12 with one home run and two RBI. Roberto Perez will catch Adam Plutko in the matinee.

Maldonado went 3-for-5 with a double, a homer, two runs and three RBI in Wednesday's win over the Mariners.

It was quite the game for the veteran catcher, who hasn't been much of an asset with the bat this season. He hit an RBI single in the second, an RBI double in the fourth and added his eighth homer of the season with a solo shot in the fifth. Despite the strong game, he's still hitting just .226/.283/.370 on the season.

Vazquez (finger) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Portland on Monday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez has been cleared to return to game action for the first time since landing on the DL -- and subsequently undergoing finger surgery -- near the beginning of July. The backstop is expected to catch a few games in the minors before hopefully returning to the Red Sox's active roster around the start of September, barring any setbacks. In the meantime, Sandy Leon and Blake Swihart will continue to split catching duties.

Leon is not in the lineup versus Cleveland on Wednesday, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Leon will receive a standard day off for maintenance purposes after starting the first two games of the series. In his absence, Blake Swihart will handle the catching duties and bat eighth.