MLB Player News

Higashioka went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Braves.

The catcher has recorded the first three hits of his big-league career in the last four games, and amazingly all of them have left the yard, making Higashioka only the second Yankee in history after Alfonso Soriano to homer for his first three hits. Austin Romine (hamstring) will likely rejoin the lineup soon, but Higashioka's power display could lead to more playing time for the 28-year-old while Gary Sanchez (groin) is on the shelf.

Gomes is not in the lineup against the Royals on Wednesday.

Gomes will receive a standard day off after starting the past four games. In his spot, Roberto Perez will catch Trevor Bauer and bat eighth.

Stassi (hand) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against Texas, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Stassi will remain on the bench after leaving Tuesday's contest following a hit by pitch on his right hand in the first inning. He should be considered day-to-day ahead of Thursday's series opener versus the White Sox.

Higashioka will start at catcher and bat eighth Wednesday against the Braves.

Higashioka will draw his fourth straight start behind the plate with the top option on the active roster, Austin Romine, still battling a tight hamstring. Per Coley Harvey of ESPN.com, Romine said Wednesday that he's feeling "great" and hasn't endured any setbacks in his recovery from the injury, so after a team off day Thursday, the backstop could be ready to rejoin the lineup for Friday's series opener in Toronto. Once Romine is back to full strength, Higashioka, who has recorded two hits -- both homers -- over 10 at-bats in his previous three starts, will likely only be asked to play a couple times per week.

Gomes went 1-for-5 with a grand slam in a win over the Royals on Tuesday.

Gomes took starter Danny Duffy deep in the sixth inning for his 10th homer of the year. Gomes registered a hit for his third consecutive game, and is coming off a decent June in which he hit .284/.360/.537 with three homers and 11 RBI. The backstop strikes out about 30 percent of the time, but has still managed to produce to the tune of 28 RBI and 29 runs in 61 games.

Stassi left Tuesday's game against the Rangers after being hit by a pitch on his right hand, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Stassi was hit in his first at-bat during the top of the first inning and briefly stayed in to run the bases, but was replaced behind the plate by Tim Federowicz for the bottom of the frame. The 27-year-old was diagnosed with a right hand bruise after X-rays came back negative, and he is currently considered day-to-day.

Stassi will be the Astros' starting catcher for at least 4-to-6 weeks with Brian McCann undergoing knee surgery, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Stassi's fantasy stock should shoot up, at least in the short term, as any everyday player in the Astros' lineup will have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs and be driven in by his teammates. The 27-year-old had been slowly carving out a larger role, starting five of the last eight games behind the plate. He's outhit McCann so far this season, posting a .255/.335/.482 line compared to .206/.283/.323 for his veteran teammate, so if he continues to impress in a full-time role he has a shot to keep the job for the rest of the year.

Vazquez is not starting Tuesday against the Nationals, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Vazquez will sit in favor of Sandy Leon for the third time in four games, suggesting that a changing of the guard could be taking place behind the plate. Leon's relatively unimpressive .254/.295/.412 season line is nonetheless far superior to Vazquez's .216/.254/.307 mark, so it would make sense for the Red Sox to consider a switch.

Garver is not starting Monday against the Brewers, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Garver will sit in favor of Bobby Wilson for the seventh time in the Twins' last 11 games. Garver's .262/.329/.376 slash line is unremarkable, but it's far better than Wilson's .132/.218/.235, so it would be a surprise if Wilson were to claim the starting job.

Vazquez is not in the lineup Monday against the Nationals, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Vazquez will sit in favor of Sandy Leon for the second time in three games. Leon's .261/.303/.423 season slash line easily outpaces Vazquez's .217/.255/.308 mark, and he's 8-for-17 over his last six games, so there's a possibility that Vazquez's starting job could be under threat.