MLB Player News

Sanchez (groin) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment Thursday, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Sanchez will get his feet wet in the Gulf Coast League before transferring his rehab to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. If everything goes as planned, Sanchez could be back with the big club after about a week's worth of games. He's been on the shelf since July 24 with a lingering groin issue, but it sounds like the slugging catcher could be back to help the Yankees -- and fantasy owners -- for the stretch run.

Garver is not in the lineup Tuesday against the White Sox, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Garver will check out of the lineup following three straight starts behind the dish. Bobby Wilson will start at catcher and hit ninth in his stead.

Jansen is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Orioles.

Jansen will give way to Luke Maile behind the dish following a string of three straight starts. The rookie backstop is hitting a solid .381/.391/.667 with a homer and three doubles through his first six big-league contests.

Jansen went 1-for-4 with a double Monday in the Blue Jays' 5-3 win over the Orioles.

Jansen was promoted from Triple-A Buffalo on Aug. 12 in part due to the Blue Jays needing regular backstop Russell Martin to fill at third base when injuries piled up, but the 23-year-old now seems unlikely to relinquish the top job behind the plate even once the big club reclaims some health on the left side of the infield. The rookie has recorded hits in all six of his starts, including doubles in each of his past three appearances. Jansen demonstrated excellent contact and on-base skills during his time in the minors and projects to continue delivering a stable batting average for the Blue Jays, making him someone worth rostering in just about every fantasy format that starts two catchers.

Vazquez (finger) has increased the intensity of his baseball activities and is nearing a rehab assignment, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Vazquez has been hitting soft toss, throwing and catching bullpen sessions. Manager Alex Cora hopes Vazquez can begin live batting practice later this week. They'll have Vazquez catch some games in the minors before having him return to the active roster in early September.

Narvaez will head to the bench Monday against the Twins, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Narvaez has hit .273/.412/.509 with three homers in 20 games since the All-Star break. Kevan Smith will handle catching duties in his absence.

Maile was activated from the paternity list prior to Monday's game against Baltimore.

Maile will rejoin the team after spending the past few days with his family. In a corresponding move, Sean Reid-Foley was sent back down to Triple-A Buffalo.

Narvaez went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Sunday's 7-6 win over the Royals.

Narvaez was part of a three-homer fourth inning that erased Kansas City's 6-0 lead. An inning later, he slashed a single that plated Avisail Garcia with the winning run. Narvaez, who has a 1.002 OPS since June 1, has been a serviceable fantasy performer while starter Welington Castillo has been serving an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. Castillo can be reinstated Thursday and is currently on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte. White Sox manager Rick Renteria made comments last week suggesting Castillo may not be back when eligible, indicating the catcher has been away from playing the game for a while. But he should be back before the end of August and Narvaez will lose at-bats.

Maldonado went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and solo home run to go along with three runs scored Sunday against the Athletics.

Maldonado homered for the second consecutive game, taking Emilio Pagan deep in the seventh inning. He now has seven home runs for the season, though his first two home runs as an Astro came on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Brian McCann (knee) has begun a rehab assignment, so Maldonado's time as the team's primary catcher is likely coming to an end soon.

Leon is out of the lineup Sunday against the Rays, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

He'll sit for the second time this series with Blake Swihart garnering the nod behind the plate. Leon still looks to be the Red Sox's No. 1 backstop, but the 29-year-old doesn't carry much appeal outside of AL-only formats these days. Since July 20, Leon has gone 8-for-62 (.129 average) with one home run, two RBI and eight runs in 21 games.