MLB Player News

McCann was 1-for-4 with a two-run single in Saturday's 8-4 loss to the Yankees.

The Tigers catcher now has hits in back-to-back games, after going 0-for-5 in his first game of the season on Tuesday versus the Marlins. McCann figures to once again receive plenty of starts this season against left-handed pitching, which he touched up for a .320 average over 97 at-bats in 2015.

Rodriguez went 1-for-3 with a run, two RBI and two strikeouts in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's 7-2 victory over Rochester on Friday.

Rodriguez went just 2-for-15 with one RBI and one run this spring, which wasn't too far off his 2015 campaign with Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, when he accumulated a combined .170 average over 176 at-bats. A promotion to the majors this year seems unlikely as long as he continues to bat below the Mendoza Line.

Vazquez (elbow) caught all nine innings in Triple-A Pawtucket's season opener Friday. He shepherded three pitchers through a three-hit shutout.

At the plate, Vazquez reached base safely three times with a double and two walks, so overall it was an encouraging night for the catcher coming back from last year's Tommy John surgery. Let's keep in mind that Vazquez is on a rehab assignment and has not yet been assigned to the minors. When his 20-day rehab stint is over, the organization may officially send him down to Pawtucket, but he's expected to get back up to Boston at some point during the season. Coming off the elbow surgery, Vazquez will need to get to the point where he can catch games on consecutive days before the Red Sox trust him as the lead catcher.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored in Friday's 4-3 victory over the Twins.

The veteran catcher legged out his first three-bagger since 2014 in a key eighth-inning rally, and then scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Omar Infante. The 25-year-old is still looking for his first home run of the new season, but he's hitting .300 with an RBI over his first 10 at-bats.

McCann is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Marlins.

He went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts Tuesday against the Marlins, and in the day game following the night game, he will get the day off. Jarrod Saltalamacchia will start at catcher and hit sixth Wednesday.

Manager John Gibbons said Thole will catch most of R.A. Dickey's starts this season, CBC Sports reports.

The 29-year-old catcher has been with the Blue Jays since 2013, but has never played more than 57 games in a year -- he only played 18 in 2015 due to injuries and a backlog at the position. However, because of his ability to catch Dickey's knuckleball, and the rest needed by 33-year-old Russell Martin, Thole may be in line for an increased workload this season. He may be worth a look in daily leagues due to the fact he'll be part of the most potent offense in baseball.

Jackson will be held back in extended spring training this year, Baseball America's J.J. Cooper reports.

Cooper notes that this is relatively unprecedented for a former first round pick. Of the 87 high school outfielders and infielders (catchers weren't taken into account) taken in the top 30 picks from 2001 to 2014, Jackson will be the first healthy, non-suspended player of those 87 to be held back in extended spring training in his second full pro season. The new regime is sending a message that players will have to earn their promotions, after the prior regime was often accused of rushing top prospects through the minors at the expense of their development. While this may appear to push back Jackson's ETA, it is probably a positive for his overall development, and fantasy owners should no longer have to blame the Mariners' organization for the underperformance of highly touted prospects.

Perez will catch and bat seventh Tuesday against the Mets, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

The 2015 World Series MVP, he is expected to shoulder a heavy workload again this season. Perez has averaged over 135 starts per season over the past three years. While Perez doesn't walk much at all (2.4% BB% last season), he makes enough contact to hit at a serviceable clip, and there may still be a little more power left in his bat.

Vazquez (elbow) is scheduled to catch nine innings at Triple-A Pawtucket on Thursday, Scott Lauber of ESPN reports.

Vazquez will take a major step forward in his recovery from Tommy John surgery by catching a full game. That said, it will likely be the first of many games for Vazquez at the minor league level given that he was sidelined for the entirety of last season.

Perez (concussion) has been medically cleared after passing the league's concussion protocols, MLB.com reports.

Perez will be able to open the season as the backup to catcher to Yan Gomes after taking a foul ball off the mask over the weekend.