MLB Player News

Vazquez is expected to be activated off the bereavement list Saturday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Vazquez, who has been away from the team since Wednesday, could be in line to catch the debut of Chris Sale (elbow), who is also expected to be activated Saturday. Backup catcher Kevin Plawecki has filled in the last three games. Plawecki's batted .400 (18-for-45) since the All-Star break, much better than Vazquez's .227 average, so there could be a more equitable share of the job until Vazquez's bat gets going.

Plawecki went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Friday's 8-1 win over the Orioles.

Plawecki made his third straight start and fifth over the last six games. Christian Vazquez is expected to return from the bereavement list Saturday, so Plawecki's run of starts could end, but the backup catcher has hit well of late, which contributed to an uptick in playing time even before Vazquez was away from the team. Plawecki is 18-for-45 (.400) with six RBI and six runs scored over 16 games since the All-Star break.

Murphy went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a strikeout in a 3-2 win against the Blue Jays on Friday.

Murphy deposited a 1-2 offering from Robbie Ray over the left field fence to give the Mariners an early 2-0 lead. It was the backstop's first long ball since July 22 and he's now 4-for-17 in six August games with a .205/.294/.380 slash line this season.

Haase went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's loss to Cleveland.

Haase continued his strong season, connecting for his 19th home run of the season in the fifth inning. The Detroit catcher had one career MLB home run before this year in limited playing time and had never finished with an OPS above .387. He's currently sporting an .802 OPS and should remain a primary offensive option for the Tigers.

Stassi (forearm) is starting at catcher and batting cleanup Friday against the Astros, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

He missed one game after getting hit on the arm by a pitch Wednesday, but it was apparently a minor bruise. Stassi is hitting .277/.351/.508 with four home runs in 18 games since the All-Star break.

Raleigh is not in Friday's lineup against the Blue Jays.

Tom Murphy gets the start behind the dish with lefty Robbie Ray on the hill for Toronto. The Mariners face lefties on Saturday (Hyun Jin Ryu) and Sunday (Steven Matz) as well, so Raleigh could play sparingly, if at all, this weekend.

Heim remains on the bench for Friday's game against the Athletics.

Heim will sit against southpaw Cole Irvin. He and Jose Trevino have been in a loose platoon over the past few weeks. Since his return from the injured list in late July, it's been Trevino behind the plate against all but two lefties the Rangers have faced, while Heim has started against all but one righty.

Murphy will sit Friday against the Rangers.

Murphy handled a very heavy workload in July, starting 19 of 24 games behind the plate. He's had far more frequent rest in August following the deadline-day acquisition of Yan Gomes. Gomes will get the nod Friday, meaning both backstops have now started five times so far this month.

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a double, three runs scored, two RBI and two walks Thursday against Cleveland.

Murphy had a productive day, which began with a two-run double in the second inning. He also came around to score multiple runs in a game for the sixth time this season. Murphy has been productive of late, as he's now driven in at least one run in three consecutive contests and has recorded at least one hit in each of his last nine starts. Overall, Murphy has maintained a .224/.318/.419 line with 13 home runs, 36 runs scored and 52 RBI across 355 plate appearances.

Zavala went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk Thursday against the Yankees.

Zavala hit one of three White Sox homers off of New York starter Andrew Heaney, taking the left-hander deep to center field in the fourth inning to give Chicago a 7-3 lead. It was the fourth homer in 21 games this season for Zavala, who had entered the day stuck in a 3-for-20 (.150) rut to start the month of August. He'll be headed either to a bench role or back to Triple-A Charlotte once starter Yasmani Grandal (knee) completes his rehab assignment.