MLB Player News

Vazquez went 1-for-4 with a triple and two RBI on Thursday against the Royals.

Vazquez collected only one hit in the contest, but his two-RBI triple turned out to be the deciding runs in Boston's win. Though he's slowed a bit at the dish since his prolific start to May, Vazquez remains the primary catcher for the Red Sox, and his .195 ISO is nearly 100 points better this .103 career mark. Overall, he's hitting .289/.329/.484 across 170 plate appearances.

Smith has been optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Smith was impressive in his first action at the big-league level, going 6-for-21 with a pair of homers and a double, but with Austin Barnes (groin) activated from the 10-day injured list Thursday, the Dodgers have sent Smith back to Oklahoma City. The young backstop showcased some of the potential at the dish that has made him such an enticing prospect, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him called back up at some point this season.

Barnes (groin) was activated from the 10-day injured list Thursday.

As expected, Barnes is back with the Dodgers after completing a two-game rehab stint with High-A Rancho Cucamonga, going 2-for-5 with a walk in those contests. The 29-year-old figures to immediately step back in as the team's primary backstop after a minimum stay on the shelf. Will Smith was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move.

Jansen is not in the lineup Thursday against the Yankees.

Jansen will head to the bench for Thursday's series finale after starting the past two games behind the dish, going 1-for-6 with a walk in those contests. In his place, Luke Maile is starting at catcher and hitting ninth.

Perez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 9-7 win over the Twins.

Perez's seventh-inning blast capped the Tribe's comeback from a four-run deficit and helped the team climb back over .500 for the season. The long ball was Perez's second in as many days and brings his total up to nine for the season, marking a new career high in the category.

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

With the Brewers and Marlins facing a quick turnaround for their series finale, Grandal will receive a routine maintenance day, allowing Manny Pina to pick up a turn behind the dish. Grandal was one of the Brewers' top performers in Wednesday's 8-3 loss, finishing 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.

Maldonado is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox, Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City reports.

Maldonado will rest for the afternoon contest after starting behind the plate in both of the previous two contests. Cam Gallagher will handle catching duties in the series finale.

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

Jacob Stallings will work in a battery with Chris Archer for the latter's second straight turn in the rotation, but that doesn't necessarily indicate that manager Clint Hurdle has committed to Stallings as Archer's personal catcher. Instead, the day game after the night game probably represents the main reason why Diaz isn't starting in the series finale. With 12 hits in 28 at-bats to go with nine RBI over his past seven games, Diaz has cemented himself as the Pirates' top option behind the plate and may even warrant ownership in weekly leagues that start only one catcher.

Murphy went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Wednesday's 14-1 win over the Astros.

Murphy swatted a two-run homer off reliever Brady Rogers in the sixth inning for his fourth long ball of the season. In his limited opportunities at the plate as Seattle's backup catcher, the 28-year-old is hitting an impressive .300/.329/.529 with eight RBI and seven runs scored through 23 games.

Sanchez went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI overall in Wednesday's 11-7 loss at Toronto.

Sanchez put the Yankees on the board in the fourth inning with his 426-foot blast to left field and also delivered an RBI single in the following frame. The 26-year-old is slashing .270/.345/.660 through 42 games, and with 19 home runs, he's now exceeded the 18 he compiled last season over 197 additional plate appearances.