MLB Player News

Vazquez is expected to open the season as the Red Sox's top catcher and will regularly bat ninth in the lineup, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Despite hitting .346 from July 29 through the end of the season in 2017, Vazquez will have to settle for a spot at the bottom of the order due to the number of potent bats populating the Boston lineup. The low slotting in the batting order is harmful enough as it is to Vazquez's fantasy prospects, but he also projects to receive fewer plate appearances than most of top catchers around the league due to the team's plans to split the workload between him and Sandy Leon depending on which pitcher is starting on a given a day. With that in mind, Vazquez might not offer much intrigue outside of two-catcher mixed leagues or AL-only formats.

McCann added about 15 pounds to his frame in the offseason and looks more muscular this spring, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

McCann figures to be a more important part of Detroit's offense this year, as J.D. Martinez and Ian Kinsler are both gone from last year's Opening Day lineup. The 27-year-old catcher set new career highs with 13 home runs and 49 RBI in 2017, and he could surpass those numbers if the added muscle leads to more power at the plate.

Haase was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Monday, T.J. Zuppe of The Athletic Cleveland reports.

Haase has held his own this spring, hitting .250/.348/.750 with three homers in 23 plate appearances, but he was never expected to break camp with the Indians with Roberto Perez and Yan Gomes ahead of him at the major-league level. Instead he'll report back to Columbus to open the season, where he should spend the majority of the campaign after working mostly with Double-A Akron in 2017.

McCann will start at catcher and bat sixth in the Detroit lineup for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

All of the team's projected regulars are starting Monday, so it would appear McCann is tentatively penciled in as the Tigers' No. 6 hitter for the Opening Day lineup. Should McCann stick in that spot for the balance of the campaign, he would likely be in good position to surpass the career-high 49 RBI he tallied in 2017 with Miguel Cabrera, Nick Castellanos and Victor Martinez slotting directly ahead of him in the order. McCann is also aided by having less competition for starts behind the plate now that right-handed masher Alex Avila is out of the way. The two backstops split time last season before Avila was dealt to the Cubs in late July.

Wynns was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Wynns spent the 2017 season at Double-A Bowie, where he hit .281/.377/.419 over 105 games. This will mark his first extended stay with Bowie, as Wynns has played just eight games with Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate so far in his career. This spring, Wynns went 4-for-18 (.222) with five walks and two home runs.

Gomes (arm) will bat second and catch for the Indians in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Mariners, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Gomes was only sidelined the past two days with the sore arm, so it appears his absence was largely precautionary. The veteran is slated to split duties behind the plate with Roberto Perez this season.

The Athletics reassigned Murphy to their minor-league camp Sunday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Murphy wasn't a serious contender for the backup catching job in Oakland while attending his first big-league camp. The 23-year-old is likely bound for a second tour at Double-A Midland after slashing just .209/.288/.309 in 217 plate appearances in the Texas League following a midseason promotion in 2017.

The Royals optioned Gallagher to Triple-A Omaha on Sunday, Maria Torres of The Kansas City Star reports.

Gallagher's dismissal essentially locks Drew Butera into the Opening Day roster as the backup to starting catcher Salvador Perez. The 25-year-old Gallagher received his first taste of the big leagues in 2017, going 6-for-24 at the dish while appearing in 13 contests.

Moore (thumb) replaced starter Jesus Sucre behind the plate in the Rays' 4-3 Grapefruit League loss to the Red Sox on Saturday, striking out in his lone at-bat.

It marked Moore's first spring action since March 6 after the veteran backstop was sidelined with a left thumb injury. Moore doesn't look like a serious candidate for the Rays' Opening Day roster, with the team expected to proceed with Wilson Ramos and Sucre as its two catchers.

The Astros reassigned Stubbs to their minor-league camp Sunday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic Houston reports.

The Astros appear set to keep three catchers for their Opening Day roster, but the battle for the final spot has come down to Max Stassi and Tim Federowicz rather than Stubbs, who is less of a finished product and still in need of a full-time role. Since that wouldn't have been available to him at the big-league level, Stubbs will likely report to Triple-A Fresno when the season begins and hold down an everyday role behind the dish. Following his late-season callup to Fresno in 2017, Stubbs logged 91 plate appearances and slashed .221/.341/.286 while going 3-for-3 on stolen-base attempts.