MLB Player News

Vazquez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a loss to the Yankees on Sunday.

Vazquez launched a 413-foot homer to left field in the fifth inning to account for Boston's first run of the game. The 28-year-old entered the season with only 10 long balls in 922 career at-bats but has broken out to rank fourth among American League catchers with 17 homers in 330 at-bats this season.

Mejia went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and a stolen base in a losing effort against the Dodgers on Sunday.

The 23-year-old doubled leading off the third inning and subsequently came around to score the first run of the game for the Padres. He also singled and stole second base in the sixth, collecting his first steal in the majors and first at any level since 2017. In his second season in San Diego, Mejia is slashing .243/.294/.378 with four homers in 160 plate appearances.

Barnhart went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run, two runs and two walks during a 6-4 victory against the Braves on Sunday.

The Braves tied the game in the ninth, then the Reds grounded into a double play to begin the 10th, but after two straight singles, Barnhart came through with a three-run homer to retake the lead. It was his first home run since returning from an oblique injury that cost Barnhart the end of June and most of July. He is batting .212 with six home runs, 25 RBI and 21 runs in 184 at-bats this season.

Manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Sanchez (groin) would probably begin a minor-league rehab assignment early in the upcoming week, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

With Sanchez catching a bullpen session over the weekend with no discomfort and gradually ramping up his baseball activities without incident, he looks ready to embark on the final stage of the recovery process from the left groin strain. Boone expressed optimism that Sanchez would be ready to come off the 10-day injured list ahead of next weekend's series with the Blue Jays, suggesting the backstop may only need a game or two on the farm before getting the green light to rejoin the big club. Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka have been sharing the catching duties while Sanchez has been on the shelf since July 23.

Hedges is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Hedges and Francisco Mejia have alternated starts over the last seven games, and Hedges will head to the bench after going 0-for-2 on Saturday. The 26-year-old has a .794 OPS with on double and two home runs in 10 games since the All-Star break.

Rogers is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

John Hicks will handle the catching duties for Detroit while Rogers rests for the first time in five games since he was promoted from Triple-A Toledo. After opening his big-league career with three hits and two walks over his first two contests, Rogers turned in back-to-back hitless performances, striking out four times across eight at-bats.

Caratini started at catcher and batted sixth in Sunday's game against the Brewers.

With Willson Contreras moving to the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a strained hamstring, Caratini looks poised to earn a multi-week run as the team's top backstop. The Cubs recalled Taylor Davis from Triple-A Iowa for extra reinforcement behind the dish, but he's not a serious threat to poach many starts from Caratini. Despite seeing somewhat inconsistent playing time this season, Caratini has delivered a strong .271/.360/.458 slash line with five home runs and 21 RBI in 136 plate appearances. He'll be a must-roster player in NL-only leagues and mixed formats that start two catchers and may even warrant consideration in single-catcher leagues as well.

Smith is not in the lineup for Sunday's game versus San Diego, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Smith started the last four games behind the plate so it's no real surprise to see him receive the day off for the series finale. The 24-year-old is slashing .327/.382/.816 with six home runs, six doubles and 19 RBI through his first 16 major-league games. Russell Martin will start at catcher Sunday for Los Angeles.

Garver is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

Garver will take a seat after starting at catcher in Saturday's 11-3 win and going 0-for-4 with a walk and run scored while occupying the leadoff spot. Jason Castro will step in behind the plate for the third time in four games as manager Rocco Baldelli continues to run a timeshare between the two backstops.

Nido will start at catcher and bat eighth Sunday against the Pirates, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

He'll be making just his fifth start since the All-Star break with top backstop Wilson Ramos getting a day off after handling catching duties each of the past four days. Nido offers a defensive upgrade from Ramos, but his .602 OPS on the season renders him a rather unappealing DFS play.