MLB Player News

Narvaez is out of the lineup against the Twins on Thursday.

Narvaez will occupy a spot on the bench for the third time in the past four games as Kevan Smith draws another start behind the plate. Throughout the course of August, Narvaez is hitting .275/.393/.353 with four RBI in 17 games.

McCann went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run, a walk and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Rockies.

Since the Tigers traded away Alex Avila before the July 31 trade deadline, McCann has been a steady presence at catcher. He's batting .265 this month with three home runs and 10 RBI, and he should remain a serviceable fantasy option in most formats moving forward.

Garver went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, a walk and three runs scored against the White Sox on Wednesday.

Just like that, he doubled his career hit total, although Garver's MLB career before Wednesday amounted to just six games and 20 plate appearances. The 26-year-old backstop crushed Triple-A pitching this year -- .291/.387/.541 with 17 homers and 29 doubles in 88 games -- but he's just a relatively little-used backup for the Twins right now. Still, owners in dynasty formats should take note of Garver's potential, and this effort might help him carve out some more playing time while Jason Castro (concussion) remains on the DL. After all, Chris Gimenez doesn't provide very impressive competition for at-bats.

Gomes is out of the lineup for Game 1 of the Indians' doubleheader Wednesday against the Yankees.

Roberto Perez will handle the catching duties in the day's first game, but it's fully expected that Gomes will be behind the dish for the nightcap Wednesday. Gomes still retains the top spot on the depth chart at catcher, but those hoping for him to reemerge as a high-end fantasy option this season have been sorely disappointed. He's batting just .221 on the campaign, though his .307 on-base percentage represents more than a 100-point upgrade from his dismal 2016 season.

Stassi (hand) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

A hand injury landed Stassi on the disabled list last week, but the ailment doesn't appear to be anything overly serious as he's already set to begin a minor-league rehab stint. Barring any setbacks, it's looking like Stassi may be ready for activation when first eligible Sept. 4. When he does return, he isn't expected to see much playing time with Evan Gattis and Brian McCann splitting duties behind the dish.

Mejia will get some reps at third base in the Arizona Fall League, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Mejia was listed as an infielder when preliminary AFL rosters were released, and it wasn't a mistake. The 21-year-old will indeed play some third this fall, but it's not the beginning of a full-time positional switch; the Indians are just trying to enhance Mejia's defensive versatility. Maintaining catcher eligibility will be big for Mejia's fantasy value, but it's looking like Mejia's bat will profile just fine at any position (.300/.349/.499 this season) if a move out from behind the plate is necessary at some point down the line.

Narvaez is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Twins.

Narvaez will head to the bench for a second straight contest as he and Kevan Smith continue to split time behind the dish. Narvaez has started nine of the last 13 games at backstop, so he appears to be in line for the majority of starts down the stretch.

Sanchez won't play Tuesday after the Yankees' game versus the Indians was postponed due to rain, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The two sides will make up the contest Wednesday as part of a doubleheader. Look for Sanchez to be behind the plate for one of the games, and he could even start both contests if the Yankees elect to deploy him at designated hitter.

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays, Tim Britton of The Providence Journal reports.

Despite going 4-for-4 with a double and a homer in Monday's series opener, Vazquez will head to the bench after starting two of the last three games behind the dish. In his place, Sandy Leon will draw the start at catcher, batting ninth.

Maldonado went 3-for-3 with two runs scored in Monday's 3-1 win over the Athletics.

In addition to the strong offensive showing, Maldonado called a great game behind the plate, aiding Angels starter Andrew Heaney to a career-high 10 strikeouts on the night. The three base knocks were the greater takeaway from a fantasy perspective, however, as Maldonado was able to end a four-game slide where he had gone 0-for-11. The backstop is still slashing an unremarkable .188/.258/.286, but his standing as the Angels' top catching option seems to be secure.