MLB Player News

Sanchez exited Saturday's game against the Rays with an apparent right hand injury, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez was hit on the right hand by a foul tip in the top of the fourth inning and appeared to be in considerable pain, but he remained in the game to hit in the bottom of the inning. However, Kyle Higashioka took his place behind the dish to begin the fifth inning. Sanchez will likely undergo further tests to determine the extent of his injury, and it's not yet clear whether he'll be forced to miss additional time.

Murphy isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Tigers.

Murphy went 1-for-7 with a double, two RBI, two walks and two strikeouts in the first two games of the series against Detroit. Aramis Garcia will take his place behind the dish Saturday, batting ninth.

Vazquez isn't starting Saturday's game against the White Sox, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez went 0-for-6 with a walk, one run and a strikeout in the past two games. Kevin Plawecki will start behind the plate Saturday, batting ninth.

Perez isn't starting Saturday's game against the Reds.

Perez will take a seat for the second time in the last three games after he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Friday. Austin Hedges starts behind the plate, batting eighth.

Grandal isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Red Sox.

Grandal has gone hitless with six walks, one run, one RBI and four strikeouts in his last 21 plate appearances. Zack Collins will start behind the dish Saturday, batting sixth.

Garver went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Friday's 10-3 loss to the Angels.

Garver tied the game at 2-2 with his two-run double in the sixth inning and later came around to score the go-ahead run before the Angels' bats caught fire. The 6-foot-1 catcher is up to four extra-base hits and six RBI this season.

Maldonado (COVID-19 protocols) is unlikely to return during the Astros' current five-game road trip, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Maldonado was one of five Astros who landed on the COVID-19 injured list Wednesday. The team hasn't announced whether Maldonado has tested positive for the virus, but manager Dusty Baker said Friday that none of the five players are likely to return before the Astros return home Thursday. Jason Castro and Garrett Stubbs should continue to fill in behind the plate in Maldonado's absence.

Mejia went 2-for-4 in Thursday's 6-4 extra-inning loss to Texas.

The backup catcher has started strong at the plate this season, hitting .300 in 20 at-bats with only one strikeout. A former top prospect, Mejia has been involved in multiple blockbuster trades throughout his career but has yet to live up to high offensive expectations. That being said, his performance early in 2021 has been promising, and if it continues it may be enough to earn Mejia more opportunities over starter Mike Zunino, who's never hit for a respectable average and has begun this year no differently.

Perez is not starting Thursday against the White Sox, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Perez has handled a fairly heavy workload behind the plate this season, as Thursday's day off will be just his third in 12 games. Austin Hedges will get the nod in his absence.

Garver isn't starting Thursday's game against Boston, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Garver went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Red Sox. Ryan Jeffers will start behind the dish for Thursday's series finale, batting eighth.