MLB Player News

Sanchez (calf) is serving as the designated hitter and batting cleanup Tuesday against the Red Sox.

As had been the hope, Sanchez is back in action after missing the previous two games with a calf injury. The Yankees will ease him back into things and limit him to hitting in his first game back, but if everything checks out after Tuesday's game, Sanchez should be cleared to return to catching shortly thereafter. He'll face the Red Sox's ace, Chris Sale, in his return to action.

Gomes is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Tigers, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Gomes will give way to Roberto Perez behind the dish after two consecutive starts behind the plate. Through the Indians' first 11 games this season, Gomes has picked up seven starts while Perez has notched four.

Jansen went 4-for-4 with a solo home run, a pair of doubles and a walk Monday for Triple-A Buffalo in the club's 4-3 win over Pawtucket in 12 innings.

It was an outstanding season debut for Jansen, who reached base in all five of his plate appearances while accounting for more than a third of Buffalo's hits. The catcher broke out while logging extensive action across three levels in 2017, slashing a combined .323/.400/.484 with 10 home runs. Jansen still needs further time in the minors to hone his receiving skills, but once he reaches the big leagues, he could offer above-average offense relative to most backstops.

Narvaez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double and an RBI in Monday's 5-4 loss to the Rays.

This was just Narvaez's second start in nine games, as there's been an expected drop in plate appearances after the White Sox signed Welington Castillo in the offseason. At this current pace, Narvaez is due to play just 36 games, although that number of starts should be higher, as Castillo has never played more than 113 games in a season.

General manager Brian Cashman said the hope is that Sanchez (calf) will return to action Tuesday against the Red Sox, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Sanchez has missed the previous two games while nursing a calf injury, but with an off day Monday -- marking the catcher's third consecutive day off -- the Yankees are hoping that the 25-year-old will be able to either catch or serve as the team's designated hitter for Tuesday's series opener. He'll still have to be cleared by team doctors prior to Tuesday's game, and while the Yankees are hopeful to have their star catcher back in action, Cashman noted he "can't guarantee anything." Look for Sanchez's status to clear up sometime Tuesday. If he's unable to play, Austin Romine will once again start behind the dish.

Jansen will open the season with Triple-A Buffalo.

Jansen reached the Triple-A level for the first time last year, hitting .328/.423/.552 in 21 games. Russell Martin is entrenched as the starter in Toronto and is unlikely to yield that position until he becomes a free agent after the 2019 season, but he's 35, so there's certainly the risk than an injury could open up playing time for Jansen this season. The biggest threat to Jansen's value might be his fellow Triple-A backstop, Reese McGuire. McGuire has a strong defensive reputation and had a solid season at the plate last year as well, hitting .278/.366/.492 in 34 games for Double-A New Hampshire.

Stassi went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Padres.

Stassi's fifth-inning bomb snapped Houston's streak of 29-plus innings without an extra-base knock. The catcher, who revamped his swing last season to hit more flyballs, is 6-for-15 with two doubles, a home run and five RBI over six games (four starts).

Gomes went 1-for-4 with a home run in Sunday's 3-1 victory over the Royals.

Gomes entered Sunday's game having gone 2-for-17 (.118) over five outings this season, with one of those hits being a home run. Cleveland's bats were quiet for much of the game, as the team combined to record just four hits. However, Gomes managed to pick up his third hit of the year in the bottom of the ninth inning, as he hit a two-run walkoff home run. Although he's shown power early this season, Gomes is expected to continue sharing time behind the dish with Roberto Perez.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore said Sunday that swelling has "vacated" Perez's sprained left knee, and the catcher is expected to "get back a little bit before" the 4-to-6-week recovery timeline established March 28, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports reports.

Since Perez has yet to resume baseball activities, it's too early to predict with much confidence that he'll be ready to go by the end of April, as Moore seems to be forecasting. In any case, the fact Perez has healed a little faster than anticipated counts as positive news and may convince any owners with limited bench spots who were thinking of cutting him to think twice. The Royals will likely provide additional updates on Perez's condition over the next few weeks before a firmer return date is sussed out.

McCann is out of the lineup Sunday against the White Sox.

McCann will receive a routine rest after starting the first two games of the series and going 1-for-8 at the dish. John Hicks will settle in behind the plate, catching for Mike Fiers.