MLB Player News

Vazquez went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run during Thursday's loss to Baltimore.

The backstop is in the midst of a mini heater with a 12-for-28 stretch at the dish that includes four doubles, six RBI and four runs through his past eight games. Vazquez sports a rock-solid .348/.378/.467 slash line for the campaign and has settled into a near 50-50 timeshare with Sandy Leon behind the plate. Still, Vazquez has failed to deliver much punch in the counting stats with just 11 RBI and eight runs over 98 plate appearances.

Higashioka is on the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre disabled list with a rib-cage injury, the New York Post reports.

Higashioka hasn't played in a game for the Triple-A squad since May 14, so it's unclear how much longer he'll be sidelined for. The 27-year-old got his first taste of the majors earlier this year when starter Gary Sanchez hit the DL, but went hitless in 18 at-bats while striking out six times. It's possible he gets another promotion at some point this season, but even if he does, it's unlikely Higashioka will make much of an impact in the big leagues in 2017.

Sanchez homered twice and finished 2-for-5 with three RBI during New York's 9-2 win over Toronto on Thursday.

After an up-and-down month of May it seems as though Sanchez is ready to take June by storm, at least if Thursday is any indication. As the starting catcher for the Yankees, Sanchez will see plenty of opportunity to boast gaudy numbers, as he did last year.

Ice was placed on the minor-league disabled list due to a wrist injury.

This likely is the reason why Ice hasn't appeared in a game for Lake County since Monday. It's unclear how severe the injury is, but wrist injuries can be quite tumultuous for hitters. Prior to the injury, Ice was batting .212 with two home runs and 11 RBI for the Captains.

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

This marks the second day in a row that Leon will cede catching duties to Christian Vazquez. On the surface it might seem a little surprising considering Leon has been significantly better against lefties this season (.308 batting average) than against righties (.200 BA) and southpaw Wade Miley is throwing for the Orioles. However, Vazquez almost always catches Thursday's starter Eduardo Rodriguez (along with Drew Pomeranz).

Ohlman said he's been working on a shorter swing to maximize his power and potential, The Buffalo News reports.

The catcher made his major-league debut in early May, only to be designated for assignment a few weeks later. He eventually settled on a Triple-A deal with Toronto, and Ohlman is hopeful he'll return to MLB in due time. Making his swing more efficient and powerful was a priority this offseason. "Stay short to the ball. You can be short and have a bigger swing. That's what we worked on because I wasn't maximizing my potential in the power category," the 26-year-old said. "I'm glad to have some results to show for it." Last season, he combined for just seven home runs in 78 games with Double- and Triple-A. Ohlman has eight already this year, and the 6-foot-5, 240-pound backstop is enjoying a career-high .982 OPS through 30 games with Triple-A Buffalo.

Gomes is not in the starting lineup Thursday against the Athletics, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Gomes and Roberto Perez have now alternated starts in the last six games. It will be Perez manning the backstop for the series finale, catching Corey Kluber (back) in his return from the DL.

Vazquez went 1-for-4 with a two-run double that provided the cushion in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the White Sox.

Savvy fantasy owners understand that Vazquez, a career .233 hitter entering 2017, will not sustain the lofty .341 average he currently possesses this season. But even as the average corrects itself going forward, Vazquez will continue to get turns as the primary batterymate for two of Boston's starters: Drew Pomeranz has a 3.45 ERA in nine starts with Vazquez behind the plate, and Eduardo Rodriguez has a 2.82 ERA in nine Vazquez starts.

Leon is out of the lineup Wednesday against the White Sox, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Christian Vazquez will substitute in behind the plate for Leon, who had started three of the previous four games. Manager John Farrell's continued usage of the catching timeshare makes it difficult to predict what Leon's workload will look like any given week, but both backstoppers are still worth owning in AL-only leagues until one emerges as the clear top option.

Sanchez is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Orioles.

Manager Joe Girardi is handing Sanchez a routine day off on the heels of four straight starts behind the plate. With Sanchez on the bench, Austin Romine will catch for starter Masahiro Tanaka, while center fielder Aaron Hicks moves up from seventh to second in the order.