MLB Player News

Sanchez (calf) went 1-for-3 with a walk in Friday's win over the Angels.

He was back behind the plate, which suggests the calf cramping that kept him out of Wednesday's lineup is no longer an issue. Sanchez has added 30 points to his batting average over the last two weeks and is slugging .539 with 12 homers, making him pretty easily the most valuable catcher in fantasy to this point.

Narvaez went 1-for-3 in Thursday's 9-3 loss to the Orioles.

Narvaez will shoulder a heavier load after primary starter Welington Castillo was suspended for 80 games. The White Sox called up Alfredo Gonzalez from Triple-A Charlotte for depth at the position, but this is his first exposure to the majors. That suggests Narvaez will receive the greater share of at-bats, but at .188/.278/.250 through 73 plate appearances, he's not an attractive fantasy option.

Perez went 2-for-4 with four RBI in Kansas City's 8-2 victory over the Rangers on Thursday.

Perez ended up knocking in half of his team's runs on the day with a pair of two-run knocks and he's now driven in 26 runs in his first 30 games since coming off the disabled list with a knee injury. The big catcher remains one of the most reliable sources of run production and consistent at-bats at the position.

Gomes is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros.

Gomes will head to the bench for Thursday's series opener after starting four of the past five games behind the dish. Roberto Perez will start behind the dish and hit eighth in his stead.

Castillo had his contract purchased from the independent Long Island Ducks on Thursday.

Castillo was hitting .308/.400/.492 with two homers across 19 games with the Ducks prior to latching on with the Yankees. The 34-year-old has appeared in just 22 big-league games over his 15-year career, and none since 2009, so don't expect him to serve as anything more than organizational catching depth with the Yankees.

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Despite extending his hitting streak to four games with a 1-for-4 showing at the plate Wednesday, Vazquez will give way to Sandy Leon behind the dish for the series finale. The two have fallen into more of an equal timeshare recently with Leon heating up at the dish in May (.320/.414/.480 across nine games), as both have seen four starts in the Red Sox's past eight games.

Sanchez (calf) struck out as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of Wednesday's 12-10 loss to the Rangers.

The Yankees held Sanchez out of the lineup a day after he experienced cramping in his right calf. The fact that Sanchez was able to come off the bench for an at-bat suggests that the calf issue isn't anything overly worrisome, making it likely that he'll reenter the starting nine Friday against the Angels as the Yankees' catcher or designated hitter.

Narvaez will serve as the White Sox's No. 1 catcher after Welington Castillo was suspended for 80 games, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Castillo's ban for violating the joint drug agreement was formally announced Thursday, and it will be Narvaez who sees the bulk of the playing time in his absence with Alfredo Gonzalez working behind him in the backup role. Narvaez has very little pop to speak of and he's been striking out more early on this season, but he takes his walks and that helps him in OBP leagues (.373 on-base percentage last season).

Gonzalez was called up from Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday.

Gonzalez will surface in the big leagues for the first time in his career after MLB suspended Welington Castillo for 80 games and Leury Garcia was placed on the disabled list. He figures to share playing time behind the plate with Omar Narvaez moving forward, as Castillo won't be eligible to return until mid-August.

Sanchez (calf) is not a part of Wednesday's starting lineup against the Rangers, Mike Mazzeo of the New York Daily News reports.

Sanchez exited Tuesday's matchup with calf cramps in the sixth inning, but the Yankees don't believe it's a serious issue. The 25-year-old backstop should be good to go for the weekend series against the Angels following a scheduled off day Thursday -- he'll be available off the bench Wednesday if need be. Austin Romine will draw the start behind the dish and bat eighth during Wednesday's series finale.