MLB Player News

Mejia was activated off the COVID-19 injured list Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mejia has been out for just shy of two weeks after testing positive for coronavirus. Prior to his absence, he'd been splitting time behind the plate with Mike Zunino, starting six of the team's first 13 games, and he'd gotten off to a hot start, hitting .348 with a pair of homers. He should return to a similar role now that he's healthy, with Rene Pinto heading to Triple-A Durham to clear space on the roster.

Diaz will sit Thursday against the Nationals, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

Diaz sits after starting three straight games. He's hit .250/.301/.412 through 20 games to start the year. Dom Nunez will get the nod behind the plate.

Plawecki will start at catcher and bat ninth in Thursday's game against the Angels, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

A heavy slate of day games after night games has allowed Plawecki to claim more playing time of late, as he'll handle catching duties for the third time in five games while No. 1 backstop Christian Vazquez sits. Plawecki has done little to move the needle across his 26 plate appearances on the season, slashing .174/.200/.174 with an RBI and a run.

Vazquez is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Angels, Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald reports.

The Red Sox and Angels are concluding their series with a day game, so Vazquez will receive a routine breather after he went 0-for-3 with a walk while serving as Boston's catcher in Wednesday's 10-5 loss. Kevin Plawecki will relieve Vazquez behind the dish Thursday.

Huff went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI for Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday.

After a brief callup to the majors, Huff has shown off his power stroke with three home runs over the two games since he returned to the Express. The home run potential is what draws attention to Huff, and the 24-year-old is slashing .258/.329/.561 with a .890 OPS, six home runs and 14 RBIs in 17 games at Triple-A.

Stassi went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and two runs in the win over the Red Sox on Wednesday.

The catcher homered off Garrett Whitlock in the top of the fifth inning, driving in Jared Walsh in the process. Stassi later scored on a Taylor Ward long ball in the 10th frame. The 31-year-old is now up to three homers on the year, adding eight RBI and 10 runs scored over 55 at-bats. He's also working on a six-game hitting streak, always an added bonus when a catcher can give you that type of production.

Pinto was optioned to Triple-A Durham after Wednesday's 3-0 win over the A's, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Pinto appeared in five games since being recalled from Durham on April 22, and he went 3-for-15 with a home run and two RBI. Francisco Mejia (illness) is expected to be activated from the COVID-19 injured list Thursday and resume his role as Tampa Bay's No. 2 catcher.

Ruiz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

Ruiz started the past two games and will receive a day off after going 4-for-8 with a double, two walks, three RBI and a run. Riley Adams will take over behind the plate and bat seventh.

Nola is out of the lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Guardians.

Jorge Alfaro will handle the catching duties for the nightcap after Nola worked behind the plate for all nine innings in the Padres' 5-4 win in Game 1. Nola went 1-for-4 with his second double of the season and collected his ninth RBI.

Contreras (undisclosed) is starting Wednesday against the White Sox.

Contreras missed the last two games with an unspecified injury but will start behind the plate and bat fourth Wednesday. Over the three games prior to his absence, he went 2-for-9 with two walks and three strikeouts.