MLB Player News

Narvaez is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Red Sox.

With the White Sox facing their third left-handed starter in as many days, Narvaez will sit out once again, opening catching duties for Kevan Smith. It appears the two backstops will be stuck in a platoon until further notice, with Narvaez set to receive the majority of the starts as the left-handed hitter.

Maldonado is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Braves, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Maldy has just four hits over the past seven games, so he'll head to the bench after four straight starts. Juan Graterol will take over behind the dish in his place.

Narvaez is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Red Sox.

This marks the second game in a row that Narvaez will watch from the bench. Kevan Smith tallied an RBI double in Monday's contest, so he'll pick up the start behind the plate.

Gomes is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Athletics.

Gomes has come back to Earth as of late, collecting just two hits over his past seven games. He'll cede Tuesday's start behind the plate to Roberto Perez, who will bat eighth in his stead.

Narvaez is out of the lineup Monday against the Red Sox.

Narvaez caught all nine innings of Sunday's game against the Tigers, so manager Rick Renteria will give him a breather with another day game on tap. Kevan Smith will handle the catching duties in the series opener.

Vazquez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Mariners, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Despite turning in a multi-hit effort in his last two starts to lift his season batting average to .350, Vazquez will still find himself on the bench for the fourth time in six contests. Vazquez's offensive numbers have been far more impressive than fellow backstop Sandy Leon, but manager John Farrell seems committed to getting both catchers regular work. For that reason, Vazquez may only be worth keeping active in deeper mixed or AL-only leagues.

Leon will start at catcher and bat eighth Sunday against the Mariners, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

The pendulum has been swinging in Leon's direction lately in the Red Sox's catching timeshare, with the switch hitter garnering his fourth nod in six games Sunday. Leon has been unable to match the impressive numbers he posted in the second half of the 2016 campaign, but he's been a decent producer in two-catcher mixed or AL-only leagues, contributing a .245 average to go with four home runs and 15 RBI.

Gomes is out of the lineup Sunday against the Royals.

After starting behind the plate in back-to-back games and failing to record a hit in seven at-bats, Gomes will cede catching duties to backup Roberto Perez in the series finale. Look for Gomes to check back into the lineup for Monday's game against the Athletics.

Maldonado went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run home run in Friday's 8-5 loss to the Marlins.

It's a rare sight to see Maldonado -- who is known for his defensive abilities -- lead the Angels' offense on a given day, but he did just that against Dan Straily. A career .223 hitter, the 30-year-old has been offering more from an offensive standpoint this season, batting .271 with three homers and 12 RBI in 42 games. While those numbers aren't forcing owners in standard leagues to rush to the waiver wire, those in two-catcher formats could certainly do worse.

Sanchez is not in the starting lineup Friday against the A's.

It's the second time in the past three games that Sanchez heads to the bench, though it may be due to his unimpressive numbers against left-handed pitching (.167/.318/.167). Look for the catching phenom to be back behind the plate Saturday while Austin Romine takes over in his stead.