MLB Player News

Sanchez will sit Thursday against the Rays.

Sanchez owns an .871 OPS in nine games since the All-Star break. Kyle Higashioka will catch Gerrit Cole in his absence.

Gomes (oblique) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Gomes had been taking swings and running recently, and he'll be able to rejoin the active roster without a rehab assignment. The 34-year-old should immediately reclaim his role as the Nationals' starting catcher after he slashed .266/.320/.439 with eight home runs, 33 RBI and 29 runs to begin the year.

Stassi went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and a walk in Wednesday's 8-7 win over the Rockies.

Stassi led off the fifth with a solo blast to center to put the Angels up 7-3. It was his second home run over his last three games and his fourth overall this month. The 30-year-old is enjoying a nice July, slashing .347/.418/.673 with four homers, nine RBI, eight runs scored and 4:14 BB:K over 14 games. Stassi should continue to see the bulk of the work behind the plate for the Angels, with Kurt Suzuki starting occasionally as the backup catcher.

The Phillies recalled Marchan from Double-A Reading on Thursday.

He'll serve as the Phillies' No. 2 catcher behind J.T. Realmuto for a few days after backup backstop Andrew Knapp (personal) was placed on the paternity list in a corresponding move. The Phillies are scheduled to play a doubleheader against the Nationals on Thursday, so Marchan should start behind the plate for one of those contests while Realmuto rests.

The Nationals optioned Barrera to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.

Barrera's demotion comes after the Nationals had their game Wednesday against the Phillies postponed due to 12 positive COVID-19 cases within the Washington organization. Since Barrera is being optioned rather than placed on the COVID-19 injured list, he seemingly isn't one of the four players who has reportedly tested positive for the virus. Instead, the Nationals' decision to send Barrera back to the minors could signal that one of the team's two injured catchers -- Yan Gomes (oblique) and Alex Avila (calf) -- may be ready to return from the IL when Washington and Philadelphia return to action Thursday with a doubleheader. Barrera had been serving as Washington's No. 1 backstop since the All-Star break, slashing .323/.382/.484 through 10 second-half games.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-0 win over the Giants.

Smith singled his first time up and then later roped a triple into right-center field that brought home two runs. Smith also crossed home himself as part of a four-run third inning for the Dodgers. The 26-year-old has picked up his play lately, slashing .314/.415/.771 with four homers, 16 RBI, seven runs scored, a steal and 4:8 BB:K over his last 10 games.

Trevino went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to Arizona.

Trevino, who stole his first base as a major leaguer, made just his second start in five games since coming back from a forearm injury. The one-time starting catcher appears to have fallen behind Jonah Heim on the depth chart.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two total runs in Wednesday's 3-2 extra-inning win over the White Sox.

The All-Star catcher doubled leading off the seventh inning and subsequently came around to score the Royals' first run. He then came up to the plate against Chicago closer Liam Hendriks with Kansas City down by a run in the ninth frame and came through with a game-tying solo homer to left field. The long ball was Perez's 24th of the season, tops among all catchers and tied for ninth overall leaguewide. With a .278/.307/.508 slash line and 63 RBI in addition to the long balls, Perez has little competition for the title of 2021's top fantasy catcher.

Jeffers went 2-for-4 with two home runs, six RBI and two walks Wednesday against Detroit.

Jeffers began his standout effort by clubbing a grand slam in the fourth inning. He followed that up with a two-run shot four frames later, which brought his home run total on the season to eight. Jeffers is mainly limited to backup catcher duties behind Mitch Garver, though he has seen increased playing time of late due to Garver's placement on paternity leave and a subsequent hand injury that cost him a chance to start Wednesday. For the season, Jeffers has a .205/.293/.418 line across 164 plate appearances.

Plawecki went 3-for-3 with a run scored in Wednesday's win over Toronto.

Plawecki stepped in for Christian Vazquez in the nightcap of Wednesday's doubleheader and responded with his first three-hit effort -- each of them singles -- since last September. Plawecki has produced multi-hit games in four of his last six contests, upping his season average to an even .300 in 89 plate appearances.