MLB Player News

Vazquez (finger) has increased the intensity of his baseball activities and is nearing a rehab assignment, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Vazquez has been hitting soft toss, throwing and catching bullpen sessions. Manager Alex Cora hopes Vazquez can begin live batting practice later this week. They'll have Vazquez catch some games in the minors before having him return to the active roster in early September.

Grandal is out of the lineup versus the Cardinals on Monday.

Grandal will remain on the bench for a second straight game as Austin Barnes gets another start behind the plate with left-hander Austin Gomber on the mound for St. Louis. Look for Grandal to rejoin the starting nine Tuesday.

Narvaez will head to the bench Monday against the Twins, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Narvaez has hit .273/.412/.509 with three homers in 20 games since the All-Star break. Kevan Smith will handle catching duties in his absence.

Plawecki is out of the lineup against San Francisco on Monday.

Plawecki will receive a standard day off after going 2-for-3 with one RBI and three runs scored during Sunday's victory. Devin Mesoraco will handle the catching duties and bat seventh.

Maile was activated from the paternity list prior to Monday's game against Baltimore.

Maile will rejoin the team after spending the past few days with his family. In a corresponding move, Sean Reid-Foley was sent back down to Triple-A Buffalo.

Narvaez went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Sunday's 7-6 win over the Royals.

Narvaez was part of a three-homer fourth inning that erased Kansas City's 6-0 lead. An inning later, he slashed a single that plated Avisail Garcia with the winning run. Narvaez, who has a 1.002 OPS since June 1, has been a serviceable fantasy performer while starter Welington Castillo has been serving an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. Castillo can be reinstated Thursday and is currently on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte. White Sox manager Rick Renteria made comments last week suggesting Castillo may not be back when eligible, indicating the catcher has been away from playing the game for a while. But he should be back before the end of August and Narvaez will lose at-bats.

Plawecki went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and one RBI in the 8-2 win over Philadelphia on Sunday.

After going 0-for-4 against Miami on Aug. 12, Plawecki has raised his season batting average from .216 to .241 in 158 total at-bats. He should continue seeing most of the action behind the dish with Devin Mesoraco serving as his backup. The 27-year-old has 24 RBI and 26 runs scored in 2018.

Maldonado went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and solo home run to go along with three runs scored Sunday against the Athletics.

Maldonado homered for the second consecutive game, taking Emilio Pagan deep in the seventh inning. He now has seven home runs for the season, though his first two home runs as an Astro came on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Brian McCann (knee) has begun a rehab assignment, so Maldonado's time as the team's primary catcher is likely coming to an end soon.

Hedges is on the bench Sunday against Arizona.

Hedges will sit after starting four straight games. A.J. Ellis will get the call behind the plate.

Grandal is not in the lineup Sunday against the Mariners, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

The switch-hitter isn't sitting against every lefty, but the last five times he's sat have come against southpaws. Austin Barnes will catch Sunday.