MLB Player News

Vazquez remains out of the lineup for the second game of the ALDS against the Yankees on Saturday, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Vazquez's 42 wRC+ is nowhere close to good, though it's better than the 33 wRC+ posted by Sandy Leon. Leon has nevertheless gotten the start in each of the first two playoff games and could remain the preferred option going forward.

Vazquez is not in the starting lineup in Game 1 of the ALDS versus New York on Friday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Sandy Leon will handle the catching duties for the first game of the series while Vazquez gets the night off. Look for Vazquez to set up behind the plate in Game 2 with David Price on the mound.

Higashioka isn't included on the 25-man roster for the ALDS against the Red Sox, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Higashioka was an active member of the team for the AL Wild Card Game, but he won't take the field for the Yankees' upcoming series. He's yet to receive any playing time in the 2018 postseason.

Manager Terry Francona said that Gomes will start Game 1 of the ALDS versus Houston on Friday and will not have any restrictions in his throwing hand after requiring a two stitches in his right thumb last weekend, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Fortunately for Gomes, the stitches weren't placed in a spot that will impact his throwing or hitting. The backstop was able to throw to the bases during a workout session in Houston and didn't appear to have any issues, so consider him ready to go for this series.

Gomes (thumb) is not playing in Tuesday's intrasquad scrimmage but expects to be ready to go for the start of the ALDS on Friday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Gomes missed the final game of the season after getting stitches in his thumb Saturday. He should be ready to be the starter behind the plate for the first game against the Astros. Roberto Perez will get the call if Gomes needs another day to recover.

Contreras went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run Sunday against the Cardinals.

Contreras took Austin Gomber deep in the fifth inning to record his 10th home run of the season. It marked his first home run since Aug. 1 and only his third since the All-Star break. That long stretch without power is an illustration of Contreras' disappointing season, as his home run production was cut in half from the 2017 campaign.

Perez will undergo lateral collateral ligament reconstruction on his thumb Tuesday, Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City reports.

The veteran catcher finished 2018 batting a career-low .237 with a .719 OPS that was 73 points lower than his 2017 mark. There's no word yet on how long Perez's rehab will be at this time, but that figures to come into focus after his procedure.

Diaz will catch and bat cleanup Sunday against the Reds.

He's 4-for-12 with one homer and four RBI in his last three starts. Diaz also has three hits (including one double) in nine career at-bats against Sunday starter Sal Romano. The catcher is slashing .286/.338/.456 with 10 homers and 34 RBI in 272 plate appearances.

Narvaez (back) is out of the lineup Sunday against the Royals, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Narvaez has been seeing steady starts at either catcher or designated hitter over the past week, but he'll end the campaign on the bench after tweaking his back in Saturday's 8-3 loss. Welington Castillo will get the nod behind the dish while Daniel Palka serves as the club's designated hitter in the season finale.

Wynns is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

Wynns has alternated starts each of the last seven games and is 4-for-12 with two walks in his last 14 plate appearances. The 27-year-old has a .255/.287/.382 slash line in 110 at-bats this season. Caleb Joseph will start behind the plate and bat ninth for the Orioles.