MLB Player News

The Royals selected Fermin's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

Fermin and fellow catcher Sebastian Rivero were summoned from the minors in advance of the Royals' four-game series in Toronto since Kansas City will be without backstops MJ Melendez and Cam Gallagher, who were both placed on the restricted list due to their vaccination statuses and aren't eligible to cross the Canadian border. Though Fermin had been playing with the Royals' top affiliate in Omaha, it'll be Rivero -- who had been playing at Double-A Northwest Arkansas -- who catches for starting pitcher Angel Zerpa in the series opener.

Barnhart is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's series opener against the Guardians.

Barnhart will get a day off after he went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in Wednesday's loss to the Royals. Eric Haase will take over behind the plate and bat fifth in the series opener.

The Royals placed Gallagher (personal) on the restricted list Thursday.

Gallagher is one of 10 Royals on the 26-man active roster who won't be eligible for the four-game series in Toronto due to his vaccination status. He'll be formally reinstated from the restricted list for the Royals' first game coming out of the All-Star break July 22 against Tampa Bay. In addition to Gallagher, fellow catcher MJ Melendez (personal) is also on the restricted list for the Toronto series, so the Royals will bring up two backstops (Sebastian Rivero and Freddy Fermin) from the minors as replacements at the position.

Vazquez isn't starting Thursday's game against the Rays, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Vazquez started the last six games and hit .222 with a homer, three doubles, four RBI, three runs and six strikeouts. Kevin Plawecki will start behind the plate and bat seventh.

Mejia will sit Thursday against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mejia will take a seat Thursday after he went 1-for-3 in Wednesday's victory. Christian Bethancourt will start at catcher and bat fifth in the series finale.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Padres.

The Rockies' catching timeshare continues, as Diaz and Brian Serven have now alternated turns behind the dish over the past 10 games. Diaz has gone 5-for-19 with three doubles and a walk, so at this point, he appears to have done his part to ensure his playing time doesn't slip further.

Diaz went 2-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored Wednesday against the Padres.

Diaz has enjoyed the start to the Rockies' current homestand, collecting multiple hits in each of his last two starts. Wednesday's performance also marked the first time this season that Diaz has tallied multiple extra-base knocks in a game. It's been a disappointing season overall for the veteran backstop, as he has a .219/.271/.348 line across 218 plate appearances and is entrenched in a timeshare with Brian Serven behind the plate in Colorado.

Perez is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Marlins.

The lefty-hitting Perez will take a seat with southpaw Braxton Garrett on the mound for Miami, marking the fourth time in the last five games the backstop has been out of the lineup. The Pirates appear content to roll out a strict platoon at catcher between Perez and the righty-hitting Jason Delay.

Fortes will start at catcher and bat seventh in Thursday's game against the Pirates, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Fortes is included in the lineup for the third game in a row and is getting his second turn behind the plate of the series after serving as a designated hitter in Wednesday's 5-4 win. The 25-year-old has produced an .866 OPS on the season, and the massive edge he holds in that category over the defensive-minded Jacob Stallings (.478) could be enough for Marlins manage Don Mattingly to consider deploying the two backstops in a timeshare, if not an arrangement that tilts more in Fortes' favor.

Stallings is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Pirates, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Stallings will get a breather for the matinee game after he went 0-for-2 while logging eight innings behind the dish in Wednesday's 5-4 win. Nick Fortes will catch for starting pitcher Braxton Garrett in the series finale.