MLB Player News

Maldonado is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Nationals, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

After having been behind the plate for the past five contests, Maldonado will take a seat as the Angels play a day game after a night game. Backup Juan Graterol will check in a catcher, serving as the batterymate for Ricky Nolasco.

Stassi went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 9-4 win over Arizona.

Stassi, whose contract was recently selected from Triple-A Fresno, made his first start since joining the major-league team, facing Arizona left-hander Anthony Banda. He showed a modicum of power in the minors, having hit 32 home runs over two-plus seasons at Fresno. The 26-year-old catcher should be in the lineup most nights when the Astros face a left-hander, serving as the right-handed hitting complement in a platoon with Juan Centeno. With both Brian McCann (knee) and Evan Gattis (concussion) on the disabled list, it's up to Stassi and Centeno to manage the pitching staff.

McCann is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rangers.

McCann will head to the bench for a breather after starting five straight games at catcher. He has been hot at the dish lately, turning three consecutive multi-hit efforts, so he'll look to keep things rolling when he returns to the lineup. John Hicks will take over catching duties in his place, batting seventh.

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cardinals, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez will head to the bench for a breather after starting three of the previous four games behind the dish. Sandy Leon will take over backstop duties for the contest, batting eighth.

Perez (oblique) will play as soon as he is capable and will not require a rehab assignment, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports Monday.

The question will be how Perez's side responds to the swings he took Monday. Perez is ready to go behind the plate, so expect him to be back in the lineup as soon as he proves his body is up to swinging the bat.

Stassi has his contract purchased from Triple-A Fresno on Monday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

With Brian McCann (knee) and Evan Gattis (concussion) both on the shelf, Stassi will get a shot with the big club. He's slashing .266/.383/.473 with 12 homers in 241 at-bats for Fresno this season. He'll serve as the backup for Juan Centeno until Gattis or McCann return, but he should see his share of chances before he is dropped from the roster again.

Gomes is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.

Gomes has just one hit across his last 11 at-bats, so he'll head to the bench for a breather after starting three of the last four games behind the dish. Roberto Perez will serve as the backstop in his stead, batting ninth.

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez will head to the bench for a breather after starting two straight games. With Sandy Leon back to full health, it looks like the two catchers are settling back into their timeshare, with Vazquez still receiving the healthier dose of reps.

Perez (oblique) performed catching drills Sunday with no visible limitations, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

After doing some throwing on the field over the last couple of days, Perez took another step forward Sunday by getting behind the plate for drills. Perez's ability to swing the bat remains the biggest roadblock in his recovery from the right intercostal strain, so until he's able to take batting practice without discomfort, his activation from the disabled list shouldn't be considered imminent.

Nicholas went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Saturday's 8-3 win over the Astros.

Following a 21-minute rain delay in the first inning, Nicholas kicked off the scoring for the evening with a three-run blast off Mike Fiers in the second, marking his first long ball of the season. Nicholas was picking up his second start behind the plate in three games, and his performance Saturday only gives manager Jeff Banister further reason to hand the 29-year-old more regular at-bats. Robinson Chirinos has served as the team's primary catcher following the July 30 trade of Jonathan Lucroy, but with a 5-for-25 (.200 average) showing at the dish since that time, he may have seen his hold on the role loosen.