MLB Player News

Vazquez is batting .167/.286/.278 over 10 Grapefruit League games.

Vazquez exploded for 23 home runs and a career-best .797 OPS in 2019, but the underlying advanced metrics don't indicate much difference than 2018, when he had three homers and a .540 OPS. There's reason to believe Vazquez will regress in 2020, but he's locked down the starting catcher job based on his defensive reputation. If the bat eventually becomes unplayable, the winner of the Kevin Plawecki/Jonathan Lucroy battle to be Vazquez's backup could get an increase in playing time.

General manager Brian Cashman said Friday that Sanchez has "improved" since being diagnosed with the flu Tuesday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez was hampered by lower-back tightness early in spring training and was later diagnosed with the flu Tuesday. Although all spring training activities have been suspended for the foreseeable future, Sanchez's improved physical state could allow him to ramp up baseball activities in the coming days, wherever he may decide to do so. Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported earlier Friday that the majority of Yankees players plan on continuing informal workouts at the team's Tampa facility, so Sanchez could decide to do the same when he feels healthy enough.

The Reds will continue to hold voluntary workouts at their spring training facility in Goodyear, Arizona, while spring training is suspended, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. Barnhart, the Reds MLBPA representative, is among the Reds that will remain in Arizona for the short term.

Barnhart's wife is pregnant, so she and their young son have already gone home. "I will remain here until I'm told or given a little bit more information or clear vision on what the schedule looks like," Barnhart said. "I think after that, for me personally, I will probably go home and spend time with my family as much as possible and help take care of them as much as possible."

Wynns (groin) will catch and bat eighth Thursday in the Orioles' Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Since being scratched from the lineup ahead of a March 4 game against the Marlins with a sore groin, Wynns has proceeded to appear in four spring contests, all as a reserve. The fact that he's now been cleared to start behind the dish suggests he's in sound health and shouldn't be hampered by injury in his bid for the Orioles' No. 2 catching job.

Plawecki went 1-for-2 with a double in Wednesday's spring game against the Rays.

Plawecki is 9-for-19 (.474) with a double and two RBI over 10 games. That line holds up well as the 29-year-old backstop competes with the 33-year-old Jonathan Lucroy for the backup catcher position. Both players have done enough to win the job, so the decision-making process will play itself out over the final two weeks. Plawecki comes at a cheaper price tag, but the Red Sox have financial flexibility after trading Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers, and interim manager Ron Roenicke has history with Lucroy from their days with the Brewers.

Manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday that he expects Gomes to play around 4-to-5 times per week during the regular season, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Though Martinez didn't say so explicitly, his division of the workload behind the plate implies that Gomes is the No. 1 catcher. Meanwhile, Martinez said that Suzuki, the other backstop on the roster, would serve as the regular battery mate for Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez. Suzuki is the superior hitter of the two, but Gomes' ability to control the run game along with his skills as a pitch framer look to be enough for him to handle the larger portion of a timeshare.

Contreras was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

The backstop will make the move to the International League for the first time after splitting the 2019 campaign between High-A Florida and Double-A Mississippi. Contreras doesn't have the long-term fantasy upside of older brother and fellow catcher Willson, but he boasts decent contact skills and should be able to stick behind the plate once he eventually gets the call to the big leagues.

Sanchez (back) tested positive for the flu Tuesday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez was scheduled to take part in catching drills and batting practice this week before returning to game action Friday, but the illness will set him back a few days.

Contreras went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Giants.

Contreras has been chugging along this spring, posting a .292 batting average and .930 OPS in Cactus League play. The 27-year-old catcher had a solid 2019 campaign with 24 home runs and 64 RBI, and he should once again be one of the top options at the position in 2020.

Murphy went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in a Cactus League win over the Rangers on Monday.

It was the first round tripper of Cactus League play for the promising backstop, who was eased into spring following offseason knee surgery and didn't see game action until March 2. Murphy, who'll be the starting catcher in 2020, has made good use of his limited opportunities thus far, hitting .375 (3-for-8) over his first 10 spring plate appearances.