MLB Player News

Narvaez is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Narvaez went 12-for-29 (.414) with three homers over his last eight games, but manager Scott Servais decided to hold him out of the lineup Sunday for the second day in a row. Austin Nola will handle the catching duties after Tom Murphy was behind the plate Saturday.

Garver is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Royals.

Jason Castro will step in behind the plate, pushing Garver to the bench following back-to-back starts. With a .277 average, 31 homers, 67 RBI and 68 runs, Garver currently ranks behind only J.T. Realmuto among catchers in year-to-date fantasy value.

Nola is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Orioles, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Nola has been playing close to every day for Seattle, and he's still hitting enough to justify the playing time (.884 OPS, three homers in September). He should be back in there Sunday to face lefty John Means.

Trevino is not in Saturday's lineup against the Athletics.

Trevino has gotten more playing time of late due to Jeff Mathis' back injury, but he'll be out of the lineup for the first time in the team's past eight games. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will draw the start behind the dish and bat ninth in Trevino's place.

Murphy is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rangers.

The rookie backstop will take a seat after catching Wednesday and Friday, going 0-for-6 with two walks, three strikeouts and two runs scored in those games. He still has a 1.206 OPS since joining the big club, but Murphy will likely continue to work in a relatively even timeshare as the A's look to carefully manage his workload. Murphy missed extended time in the minors this year with knee trouble.

Manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Sanchez could maybe play at some point during the Yankees' series in Texas next weekend, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The target seemed to be the start of postseason play Oct. 4, but it sounds like Sanchez is pushing to get a few at-bats in during the final weekend of the regular season. Sanchez has progressed to hitting in the cage and performing on-field exercises. He has made two trips to the injured list due to groin issues this year, but the 26-year-old has slugged 34 homers around IL stints and is currently the No. 4 catcher in earned fantasy value.

Stassi saw a specialist Friday to address his sore oblique, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Stassi has been out since Sept. 3 with the injury. Although he recently indicated that he is feeling better, the decision to consult a specialist suggests that the 28-year-old is not close to a return. With the regular season rapidly coming to an end, there is a strong chance that Stassi will not play again in 2019.

Sanchez (groin) has been doing a little running and throwing and is scheduled to hit off a tee in the cage Saturday, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Sanchez resumed running on a treadmill a couple days ago, a week after he went down with a groin strain. A return during the regular season seems unlikely, but Sanchez said he's confident he'll be back for the Yankees when it matters. Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka have been splitting time behind the plate for New York.

Manager Aaron Boone is hoping that Sanchez (groin) will be ready for the start of postseason play Oct. 4, Randy Miller of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Boone's comments seem to indicate the Yankees aren't concerned about getting Sanchez back before the end of the regular season -- little surprise given that they clinched a postseason berth Thursday night -- and are instead focusing on getting him back to 100 percent, or at least close to it, for the playoffs. Sanchez still has some steps to go in his recovery, however.

Garver went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and two walks while scoring three times in a victory over the Royals on Thursday.

Garver crushed a 421-foot shot to center field in the fifth inning to even the score at 5-5. After hitting only seven homers in 302 at-bats last season, Garver has exploded for 31 long balls in 297 at-bats in 2019. He leads all major-league catchers with 18 home runs since the All-Star break and ranks second at the position in total homers for the season. Remarkably, he has posted such prodigious power numbers despite splitting time with Jason Castro behind the plate. In fact, Garver's 9.6 AB/HR ranks first in the majors among players with 300 or more plate appearances.