MLB Player News

Mesoraco was removed from Thursday's game against the Giants due to neck stiffness, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Kevin Plawecki replaced Mesoraco in the top of the sixth inning. Mesoraco will head in for further evaluation following the conclusion of Thursday's game. Consider him day-to-day for the time being.

Hedges is not in the lineup versus Colorado on Thursday.

Hedges will take a seat for a standard day off after starting six of the previous seven games. A.J. Ellis will handle the catching duties during Thursday's matinee.

McCann is not in the lineup against the White Sox on Thursday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

McCann will head to the bench for a standard breather following three straight starts behind the dish. In his absence, Grayson Greiner will handle the catching duties and bat seventh.

Gomes is out of the lineup versus the Red Sox on Thursday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Gomes will receive a standard breather after starting the first three games of this series, during which he's gone 5-for-12 with one home run and two RBI. Roberto Perez will catch Adam Plutko in the matinee.

Plawecki is not in the lineup against the Giants on Thursday.

Plawecki will retreat to the bench for a regular day off after starting the past two games behind the plate. In his absence, Devin Mesoraco will catch Jacob deGrom and bat seventh in the order.

Maldonado went 3-for-5 with a double, a homer, two runs and three RBI in Wednesday's win over the Mariners.

It was quite the game for the veteran catcher, who hasn't been much of an asset with the bat this season. He hit an RBI single in the second, an RBI double in the fourth and added his eighth homer of the season with a solo shot in the fifth. Despite the strong game, he's still hitting just .226/.283/.370 on the season.

Stewart had his contract selected from Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Stewart will serve as the club's backup catcher behind Tyler Flowers since Kurt Suzuki is dealing with an elbow contusion. In a corresponding move, Michael Reed was sent down to Gwinnett.

Vazquez (finger) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Portland on Monday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez has been cleared to return to game action for the first time since landing on the DL -- and subsequently undergoing finger surgery -- near the beginning of July. The backstop is expected to catch a few games in the minors before hopefully returning to the Red Sox's active roster around the start of September, barring any setbacks. In the meantime, Sandy Leon and Blake Swihart will continue to split catching duties.

Leon is not in the lineup versus Cleveland on Wednesday, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Leon will receive a standard day off for maintenance purposes after starting the first two games of the series. In his absence, Blake Swihart will handle the catching duties and bat eighth.

Hedges went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's win over the Rockies.

Hedges broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning with a solo home run -- his 10th of the year -- off starter Tyler Anderson. Hedges is hitting just .243 on the year but over his last 15 games he's slashing .278 with four home runs, eight RBI and eight runs scored. The 26-year-old hit 18 home runs with 55 RBI in 120 games last year, and injuries have limited the backstop to just 63 games this season.