MLB Player News

Mejia, who went 1-for-3 with a double and a run against the Red Sox on Wednesday, has hit safely in all three of his starts thus far.

The reserve backstop is hitting .333 (3-for-9) in the early going, with his two-bagger Wednesday serving as his first extra-base hit of the campaign. Mejia also has two walks and has yet to strike out over his first 11 plate appearances, making him the polar opposite of free-swinging position mate Mike Zunino in that regard.

Vazquez went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a stolen base and a run scored Thursday against the Orioles.

Vazquez has hit very well to start the season, with Thursday's effort marking his third multi-hit effort in his last four games. Even more surprising is Vazquez's newfound aggressiveness on the basepaths, as he stole third base in the first inning for his second steal of the campaign. Despite an eye injury that affected him during spring training, Vazquez has stood out as a potential difference maker at the catcher position early on.

Garver went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, a double and another run scored during Thursday's win over Seattle.

Garver swatted the homer against Marco Gonzales in the third inning, then doubled in the fifth. It's been a relatively slow start to the season for the 30-year-old backstop, who has tallied two homers while batting just .222.

Maldonado is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Houston will build in an extended rest for its top catcher, as Maldonado will head to the bench following Wednesday's off day. Maldonado should check back in behind the plate for Friday's contest, but Jason Castro will catch Cristian Javier in the series opener.

Stassi isn't starting Thursday's game against the Blue Jays, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Stassi has gone 4-for-11 with a solo home run and two strikeouts this year but will sit out for the third time in the last five games. Kurt Suzuki will start at catcher Thursday, batting eighth.

Trevino went 2-for-4 and scored a run in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Toronto.

The catcher is now an impressive 7-for-17 in 2021 after starting four of the Rangers' six games. Trevino was an unremarkable offensive player in his first three seasons, never hitting higher than .258; however, he's been one of his team's best hitters early this season. Four games is too small a sample size to deem Trevino a valuable fantasy asset, but that may change if he continues getting on base and begins driving in runs.

Sanchez went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Orioles.

Sanchez made hard contact in this one, as both of his hits were sharp line drives into left field. The 28-year-old could've had two doubles on the night, but he got out of the box a little sluggishly when he thought one of his hits was going to be caught and was limited to a single instead. Sanchez has been a bit inconsistent to begin the season, delivering two-multi hit games but also two 0-for-4 efforts. Nonetheless, he should be featured regularly behind the plate while getting a rest every five days when Kyle Higashioka steps in to catch for Gerrit Cole.

Plawecki went 1-for-3 with a run scored in Wednesday's 9-2 win over the Rays.

Plawecki drew the start behind the plate for a day game following Tuesday's 12-inning night game, in which primary backstop Christian Vazquez played the entire contest. That will be the routine whenever Boston's playing a night game followed by a day game. Vazquez served as the designated hitter Wednesday, which is a reminder that he's made himself into a much better hitter since arriving in the majors. That hitting ability allows manager Alex Cora to get his bat in the lineup at DH while not burdening him as a catcher, which could lead to more at-bats for Plawecki if he's able to carry forward last season's success.

Collins started at designated hitter and went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Mariners.

Collins made his second straight start and has a home run and five RBI in the two games. He started at catcher Tuesday and gave the hot-hitting Yermin Mercedes a breather at DH on Wednesday. If or when Mercedes falls back to earth, Collins could be in line for consistent DH work, particularly against right-handed pitching.

Higashioka will be behind the plate for Gerrit Cole's starts a "fair amount" of the time, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Manager Aaron Boone didn't commit to Higashioka being Cole's personal catcher, but it sure sounds as if the backup backstop will get a chance to start most games when the Yankees' ace is on the mound. Higashioka started Tuesday, when Cole pitched seven scoreless frames and struck out 13 in a win over Baltimore.