MLB Player News

McCann is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the White Sox.

It appears to be a normal day off for the 26-year-old, as Alex Avila will instead get the start. McCann has gotten off to a hot-and-cold start as a hitter this season. While he has hit for a disappointing .173 batting average, he has also slugged five home runs.

Leon is not in the lineup Friday against the Cubs, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Leon hasn't recorded a hit in last five games (0-for-16), so he'll take a breather as Christian Vazquez fills in behind the plate. Leon's poor play has opened the door for Vazquez to turn the catching situation into a timeshare, as each of the catchers has three starts over the last six games.

Sanchez (biceps) will begin his rehab assignment Monday, Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record reports.

Sanchez opened the season by playing just five games before being placed on the disabled list with a bicep strain. Over that brief span he went 3-for-20 (.150). To this point he's gradually increased his level of activity and recently began participating in batting practice. Although the team has yet to provide a specific timeframe for his return, it would seem that an early-May activation from the DL would be obtainable if his upcoming rehab assignment goes smoothly.

Sanchez (biceps) took normal batting practice in the cage and threw from 120 feet Wednesday, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports.

This represents two major steps in his rehab, after he was most recently hitting off a tee and had been throwing from 60 and 90 feet. Throwing from 120 feet was thought to be the biggest step for him to clear, so it will be interesting to see how his injury responds to the day's activities. He remains without a firm timetable for a rehab assignment.

Gomes is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Astros.

Gomes has turned things around at the plate as of late, batting .429 over the past week, but he'll get a night off nonetheless. Roberto Perez will fill in behind the dish for the evening.

Collins made a technical adjustment to reduce his throw time to second base and has thwarted 10 of 14 stolen base attempts this season, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

White Sox catching coordinator John Orton suggested a change in throwing mechanics which has resulted in an improvement in Collins' pop time. This is the kind of improvement the White Sox are looking for out of Collins, who was a 2016 first-round pick. The 22-year-old is just 2-for-29 at the plate over his last nine games, so he's got some work to do when it comes to hitting, as well.

McCann went 2-for-5 with a homer, a walk and four RBI in a 19-9 win against the Mariners on Tuesday.

The power's been flowing steadily for McCann -- this was his fifth homer already -- but he's still only hitting .178. He has only three non-homer hits, all singles, in 45 at-bats. However, McCann's batting eye has looked good (9:10 BB:K), and his BABIP luck has been as atrocious as that would imply. He should absolutely be owned in two-catcher leagues.

Perez (neck) will catch and bat fifth in the order Monday against the White Sox, Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The Royals held Perez out of the last two games while he battled a stiff neck, but the team never felt he was at risk of landing on the disabled list. The couple days off were all Perez needed to get over the issue, so he should be in line for a full slate of starts behind the plate this week.

Mejia has dedicated himself to improving defensively at Double-A Akron, SB Nation's Brian Hemminger reports.

Mejia is hitting .356/.404/.511 through 12 games with the Rubber Ducks this season, but his ability with the bat has never been in question. The catcher understands that, and he's taking the necessary steps to ascend through the ranks. So far this year, Mejia has gunned down five of six attempted base stealers while also picking off four runners at first base. Akron manager Mark Budzinski said the organization's No. 1 prospect continues to develop his pitch framing, game calling and even his attitude. Although the 21-year-old still has some climbing to do, Mejia appears to be making positive strides that could lead to his MLB debut coming sooner rather than later.

Gomes' defensive prowess behind the plate has impressed manager Terry Francona, who had high praise for the veteran before Sunday's game, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Gomes' exchange times (length between catch and throw) against attempted base stealers have been elite early in the 2017 campaign. Francona called one of Gomes' recent gun-downs "Santiago-esque," a reference to former MLB standout Benito Santiago. The backstop's eye-popping defense should buy him plenty of time to overcome a slow start at the plate. Gomes is slashing a paltry .171/261/.268 through 47 plate appearances.