MLB Player News

Vazquez is not in the lineup against Toronto on Friday, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Vazquez will retreat to the bench after going 0-for-4 during Thursday's victory over the Yankees. In his stead, Sandy Leon will catch and bat ninth.

Sanchez is not in the lineup against Oakland on Friday.

Sanchez will get the day off after catching three straight games, as Andrew Romine will handle Sonny Gray's outing for the series opener. Expect to see Sanchez back in the lineup Saturday.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Thursday's loss to the Orioles.

Perez's grand slam looked to be the beginning of another huge output for the Royals, but they only managed two runs the rest of the game. According to Dave Holtzman of FOX Sports Kansas City, Perez is the first American League player to hit a grand slam on his birthday since Hideki Matsui accomplished that feat with the Yankees in 2008. Perez is slashing a strong .288/.319/.515 through 17 games this season. He and the Royals will continue their road trip Friday with a series against the division-rival Indians.

Stassi went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's win over the Athletics.

The solo shot -- Stassi's third homer of the year -- knotted up the score at 1-1 in a game Houston would eventually go on to win 4-1. The catcher is now hitting .273 and has multi-hit efforts in two straight, but he doesn't see regular enough at-bats to warrant much consideration outside of deeper leagues.

Vazquez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez will receive a standard day off for maintenance purposes after going 1-for-4 during Tuesday's defeat. Sandy Leon will catch Rick Porcello and bat ninth in the order.

Maldonado is not in the lineup Wednesday in Colorado.

The veteran catcher is hitting .218 through 24 games, exactly in line with his career mark. Rene Rivera will start in his place Wednesday.

Gomes is out of the lineup against the Brewers on Wednesday.

Roberto Perez will catch Carlos Carrasco during the second game of a two-game set in Milwaukee after Gomes started the past two contests. Over 24 appearances this year, Gomes is hitting .244/.323/.430 with four home runs and eight RBI, to go along with a career-high 35.4 percent strikeout rate.

Maldonado was activated from the bereavement list Tuesday. He is starting at catcher and hitting eighth against the Rockies.

Maldonado is back with the Angels after spending the weekend away from the team on the bereavement list. The backstop, who is hitting .213/.306/.307 through 23 games this season, will face Jon Gray in his first game back. Juan Graterol was sent to the minors in a corresponding move.

Mejia was removed from Tuesday's game with Triple-A Columbus after being hit by a pitch on the left forearm, John Wagner of The Toledo Blade reports.

Mejia initially remained in the game after taking a pitch off his forearm in the top of the eighth inning, but he was replaced behind the dish prior to the bottom half of the frame. He'll undergo further evaluation Wednesday.

Garver is not in the lineup Monday against the Cardinals, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Garver was expected to handle the bulk of catching duties with Jason Castro (knee) on the disabled list, but he'll head to the bench for a second straight game while Bobby Wilson picks up another start behind the dish Monday. It's unclear if Garver is dealing with an injury or if the Twins expect to proceed with Wilson as their primary backstop until Castro is healthy, but it may be something worth monitoring. The 27-year-old is hitting .250/.302/.450 with two homers through 43 plate appearances this season.