MLB Player News

Vazquez isn't starting Wednesday against the Rangers, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez started in the last three games and went 3-for-12 with a double, two RBI, a run, a walk and three strikeouts during that time. Kevin Plawecki will take over behind the dish and bat eighth Wednesday.

Heim isn't starting Wednesday against the Royals.

The 26-year-old started in the last three games and should serve as the primary catcher with Mitch Garver (elbow) on the injured list. However, Heim will get a breather while Sam Huff starts behind the dish and bats eighth Wednesday.

Wallach went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 12-0 victory versus the Rays.

Wallach's claim to fame in this game will be being behind the plate for Reid Detmers' no-hitter, but the backstop also made an impact on offense with his three-run homer off Corey Kluber in the third inning. This was just his second major-league game of the season, as he has been pressed into action with both Max Stassi and Kurt Suzuki on the COVID-19 injured list. Wallach now four homers over 240 career plate appearances.

Maile will start at catcher and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Maile has provided one double in all four of his starts this season, but the 31-year-old doesn't appear primed for an increased role despite his early success at the dish. He'll be receiving the start at catcher Wednesday due to No. 1 backstop Austin Hedges getting a breather for a day game after a night game.

Hedges isn't starting Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Hedges will get a breather after he went 2-for-11 with an RBI and three strikeouts over the last three games. Luke Maile will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.

While moving between catcher, designated hitter and first base, Grandal has started each of Chicago's last 16 games, slashing .208/.373/.245 over that stretch. He'll get a much-needed breather in the series finale while Reese McGuire catches, Gavin Sheets mans first base and Jose Abreu handles DH duties.

Higashioka is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays.

Higashioka will hit the bench for the day game after a night game, allowing Jose Trevino to pick up a turn behind the dish. In Tuesday's 6-5 loss, Higashioka started at catcher and went 0-for-2, dropping his season average to .140.

Lee has produced a .219/.272/.400 slash line across 114 plate appearances with Triple-A Sugar Land to begin the season.

Lee struggled to hit for power to begin the 2022 campaign, picking up only three extra-base hits across his first 12 games. However, he has collected three home runs and nine doubles in his last nine starts. On the other hand, his strikeout rate has ticked up to 26.3 percent, a considerable increase from his 17.2 percent figure at Double-A Corpus Christi in 2021. Even so, Lee is Houston's top catching prospect and now has 152 plate appearances at Triple-A, so he could make his big-league debut this season if either Jason Castro or Martin Maldonado suffers an injury.

Heim started at catcher, batted fourth, and went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Royals.

With primary backstop Mitch Garver (flexor strain) added to the injured list, Heim ascended to the top of the depth chart at catcher. He's also batted clean up in three of the last four games against righties and lefties. As a backup catcher, Heim received a healthy share of appearances while Rangers manager Chris Woodward often used Garver at designated hitter, but he should now log more frequent playing time as the primary backstop. This will be a test to see if Heim can continue a hot start to the season, which has been fueled by a .351 BABIP.

Jansen (oblique) began a rehab assignment with Single-A Dunedin on Tuesday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Jansen hasn't played in a full month while recovering from a strained left oblique. The length of his absence may mean he needs more than just a game or two of rehab before he's ready to return, though the Blue Jays haven't specified exactly how much time he'll need.