MLB Player News

Vazquez is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Rays.

Vazquez started three of the first four games since being recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket -- hitting .300 in that span -- so he appears to still be the team's preferred option behind the plate. He'll get a day off though Tuesday, as Ryan Hanigan will handle the catching duties and bat eighth.

Vazquez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Since being recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket prior to the weekend, Vazquez looks to have positioned himself atop the Red Sox's depth chart at catcher. He's started the previous two games while going 3-for-7 at the dish, and will only be out of the lineup Sunday for maintenance purposes with the Red Sox playing a day game. Ryan Hanigan will spell Vazquez in the series finale.

Casali will get the start at catcher and bat seventh in the order Sunday against the White Sox, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune reports.

On at least a temporary basis, Casali seems to have usurped Hank Conger for regular duties behind the plate, as this marks his third straight start. Casali is slashing just .176/.222/.235 on the season and bats in the bottom third of the Rays' order, so he doesn't seem to have a particularly high ceiling for meaningful fantasy production.

Lavisky was transferred to the 7-day DL on Saturday with a right ankle sprain.

The 25-year-old is an organizational soldier at catcher and should not be on the radar of fantasy owners in most formats.

Perez is out of the lineup Saturday against the Athletics.

Manager Ned Yost alluded to the possibility of giving Perez an off day earlier in the week, so it's not entirely surprising that the All-Star catcher is out of the lineup Saturday. Drew Butera will take his place behind the plate Saturday, but Perez figures to draw back in Sunday following his off day.

Vazquez went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in Friday night's 5-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Vazquez made an immediate impact for Boston, both as a hitter and as a catcher. Against a powerful Toronto lineup, he guided Rick Porcello through 6.1 innings, including a stretch in which the right-hander retired 13 straight. Vazquez also showed off his arm, picking off Troy Tulowitzki at first base in the second inning when the Blue Jays nicked Porcello for a run after Boston had taken an early lead. His bat won't consistently impact games as it did Friday, but all those defensive skills -- controlling the running game, blocking pitches, game calling -- will improve Boston's starters. That's why Boston optioned Blake Swihart, a much better hitter than Vazquez, to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Vazquez will catch and bat eighth Friday against the Blue Jays, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.

After being activated by the Red Sox, Vazquez will slot in immediately to catch for starter Rick Porcello, with whom he worked well during spring training. Vazquez and Ryan Hanigan figure to split time behind the plate fairly evenly with Blake Swihart optioned down to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Vazquez was recalled from his Triple-A rehab assignment Friday, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.

The Red Sox optioned Blake Swihart to Triple-A as a corresponding move, making it clear that they prefer Vazquez behind the plate moving forward. The 25-year-old was tearing the cover of the ball in Triple-A to start the year, hitting .462/650/.538 with two RBI and one stolen base through five games and will now join the Red Sox where he will likely split time with Ryan Hanigan.

Manager Ned Yost said that Perez will likely sit out of Saturday's game against the A's, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Perez is one of the most durable catchers in the major leagues, but it appears that Yost wants to get him a bit of rest in the early going so that the backstop is a bit fresher as the season rolls along. If this report holds true, Drew Butera will likely get the start behind the plate Saturday.

Vazquez (elbow) is set to be activated for Friday's game against the Blue Jays, the Boston Herald's Evan Drellich reports.

Blake Swihart gets the edge over Vazquez as a hitter, but Swihart's defense so far this year has been well below average, sailing a throw to second base and failing to catch fairly routine foul pop-ups. Vazquez will not be the magic elixir that fixes all the issues with Boston's rotation, but he will definitely help matters, as he is one of the best defensive catchers in the game. It is unclear if Swihart or Ryan Hanigan will be the roster casualty, but odds are the Red Sox will want Swihart getting regular at-bats, which probably won't happen with Vazquez on the active roster.