MLB Player News

Manager Joe Girardi said Tuesday that he is "learning toward" batting Sanchez second in the order, the Associated Press reports.

Most of Girardi's spring lineups have had Sanchez in the three-hole behind Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury, but the skipper offered a new look Tuesday. Wanting to break up Gardner and Ellsbury (both lefties), Girardi slotted Sanchez into the No. 2 spot followed by Greg Bird, Matt Holliday and Ellsbury, and he suggested he will stick with that order on Opening Day. Sanchez went 15-for-44 with four homers and 13 RBI in his first 16 spring games.

Leon went 2-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI in Monday's game against the Orioles.

Leon, a switch-hitter, homered from both sides of the plate during Boston's nine-run fourth inning. These were his first extra-base hits of the spring. The 28-year-old catcher was cool at the plate to start the spring, but has heated up with more plate appearances, hitting in five of his last six games (7-for-19). Leon will open the season as Boston's starting catcher, but backup Christian Vazquez should grab at least two games a week.

Vazquez hit a three-run homer and made several key defensive plays in Sunday's game against the Twins.

In addition to his seventh-inning homer, Vazquez picked off a runner at second base, caught a runner attempting to steal third and applied a nice tag on a play at the plate. This is the kind of virtuoso defensive performance the Red Sox have been dreaming of since they elevated the catcher to the majors in 2015. His ability to control the running game may eventually make him the lead catcher. Sandy Leon is the starter heading into the season, but make no mistake: Vazquez will catch two out of every five games at a minimum.

Maldonado has been mired in a 4-for-39 slump this spring.

The veteran backstop is known for his defensive abilities, not his offensive prowess, so the lack of production shouldn't be a huge surprise here. Still, Maldonado is trying to carve out a role in the Angels' lineup out of camp. He and fellow catcher Carlos Perez have failed to stay above the Mendoza line this spring. This is one of the least interesting catcher battles from a fantasy perspective, and a timeshare behind the dish is a definite possibility.

Perez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's win over the Diamondbacks.

Perez has flashed some pop this spring, watching three of his seven hits leave spring training facilities. Unfortunately, those seven hits have come in 37 at-bats, resulting in a .189 batting average. Earlier in the spring, manager Mike Scioscia said that a timeshare is possible behind the dish this season between Perez and Martin Maldonado, and that seems to remain the case as we inch closer to Opening Day.

Perez went 0-for-3 in Friday's Cactus League game, his first game action since March 6.

Perez has been hampered by knee inflammation and a hyperextended left elbow, but it appears all systems are go at this point. The Royals will likely give him plenty of at-bats within the coming week as he prepares for Opening Day. Perez is aiming to earn a fifth consecutive All-Star nod after slamming a career-high 22 home runs over 139 games last season.

Manager John Farrell said Leon remains the starting catcher heading into the regular season, Rob Bradford of WEEI reports.

Leon has turned things around a bit after a recent slump and is 6-for-23 this spring, though that comes with an underwhelming .553 OPS, without an extra-base hit. Still, Farrell likes what Leon brings with his overall game, and, for as questionable as its sustainability for 2017 may be, the 28-year-old hit .310/.369/.476 with seven home runs in 283 plate appearances last year. Fantasy players in two-catcher mixed leagues could do worse when scouring for a late-round, No. 2 receiver.

Vazquez caught for Eduardo Rodriguez in a minor league game Wednesday and helped the left-hander by throwing out two runners trying to steal second base, Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

These caught base-stealers don't register on Vazquez's official spring stat log, but the backstop has thrown out four of five would-be base-stealers in Grapefruit League play. His ability to control the running game and framing skills are enough to overcome whatever hitting holes he has. If Sandy Leon's hitting anywhere near last year's level (.845 OPS), Boston can maintain Vazquez on the roster. However, if Leon (career OPS .681) turns back into a pumpkin, the Red Sox would be in a position to call up Blake Swihart from Triple-A Pawtucket. In that case, there would be a roster squeeze, with neither Vazquez or Leon having any minor league options remaining.

Perez (elbow), who is serving as the team's DH for Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Padres, is expected to catch in games Friday and Saturday, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

Perez hurt his knee during a collision at home plate during the World Baseball Classic, but that injury is no longer a concern, and it's instead a hyperextended left elbow that's presenting more trouble at this time. However, it seems he's just about healed up now, and once he gets behind the plate for about six innings in the two games over the weekend, he should be considered ready to go for the start of the season. The Royals are once again preparing to hand Perez one of the heftier workloads at catcher this season, which should help him in racking up counting stats.

Stassi cleared waivers on Tuesday and was outrighted to Triple-A Fresno, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Stassi sits behind Brian McCann and Evan Gattis on the depth chart, so he was always an injury away from cracking the big league roster this season. The 26-year-old was out of minor league options, but the Astros were able to successfully pass him through waivers and keep him in the organization, where he'll head to Triple-A Fresno and serve as catching depth.