MLB Player News

Stassi will be the Astros' starting catcher for at least 4-to-6 weeks with Brian McCann undergoing knee surgery, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Stassi's fantasy stock should shoot up, at least in the short term, as any everyday player in the Astros' lineup will have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs and be driven in by his teammates. The 27-year-old had been slowly carving out a larger role, starting five of the last eight games behind the plate. He's outhit McCann so far this season, posting a .255/.335/.482 line compared to .206/.283/.323 for his veteran teammate, so if he continues to impress in a full-time role he has a shot to keep the job for the rest of the year.

Barnhart is out of the lineup against the White Sox on Tuesday.

Barnhart will get a standard breather following a pair of starts as Curt Casali sets up to catch Anthony DeSclafani. Over his past 12 games, Barnhart is hitting .311/.407/.422 with seven RBI. Look for him to rejoin the starting nine Wednesday.

Vazquez is not starting Tuesday against the Nationals, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Vazquez will sit in favor of Sandy Leon for the third time in four games, suggesting that a changing of the guard could be taking place behind the plate. Leon's relatively unimpressive .254/.295/.412 season line is nonetheless far superior to Vazquez's .216/.254/.307 mark, so it would make sense for the Red Sox to consider a switch.

Diaz will make his 10th straight start at catcher while batting cleanup Monday against the Dodgers.

The 27-year-old is batting .281 with one homer and six RBI since taking over for Francisco Cervelli (concussion) on a full-time basis. For the season, Diaz is slashing .294/.341/.484 with six homers and 21 RBI in 138 plate appearances. General manager Neal Huntington said on his Sunday radio show that while Cervelli is making good progress, the team will continue taking a conservative approach with his recovery. As a result, look for Diaz to start nearly every game until Cervelli returns.

Garver is not starting Monday against the Brewers, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Garver will sit in favor of Bobby Wilson for the seventh time in the Twins' last 11 games. Garver's .262/.329/.376 slash line is unremarkable, but it's far better than Wilson's .132/.218/.235, so it would be a surprise if Wilson were to claim the starting job.

Vazquez is not in the lineup Monday against the Nationals, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Vazquez will sit in favor of Sandy Leon for the second time in three games. Leon's .261/.303/.423 season slash line easily outpaces Vazquez's .217/.255/.308 mark, and he's 8-for-17 over his last six games, so there's a possibility that Vazquez's starting job could be under threat.

Sanchez (groin) remains on pace to receive clearance to return from the disabled list in about two or three weeks, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday the team would likely wait until after the All-Star break before activating the backstop, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports. "It's going well," Boone said of Sanchez's rehab. "I was in the weight room with him while he was on the bike doing his conditioning and stuff, and I knew he threw [Saturday]. When he's running -- I don't know what the plan is yet for him as far as that. Hopefully [we will get him back] around that All-Star break, give or take. That's the timetable it's looking like for him."

If Sanchez meets the short end of the projected recovery timetable he received after being diagnosed with the Grade 1 right groin strain, he would theoretically be ready to go the weekend heading into the break, but Boone intimated that it's more likely the Yankees would err on the side of caution and let the catcher pick up some extra runs. With 14 home runs and 28 extra-base hits through 265 plate appearances, Sanchez has been one of the top power-hitting catchers this season, but his .190 average and .291 on-base percentage are well below his respective .260 and .337 career marks.

Barnes went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Sunday's victory over the Rockies.

Barnes made his third start over the Dodgers' last four contests. Two of those games have come against southpaws, and Sunday's was the result of Yasmani Grandal sitting out a day game following a night game. The catching situation in Los Angeles appears to be that of a traditional platoon, but neither catcher is batting above .230, so Barnes could certainly earn more playing time if his bat heats up.

Higashioka went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Sunday against the Red Sox for his first big-league hit.

Higashioka joined in the Yankees' home run parade and recorded his first major-league home run against David Price. He was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the wake of Gary Sanchez (groin) being placed on the disabled list and is 1-for-7 in limited playing time.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI Sunday against the Padres.

Diaz has gotten consistent playing time since Francisco Cervelli landed on the disabled list (concussion) and has been productive. In his time as the primary backstop, Diaz has gone 9-for-32 with a home run, six RBI and six runs scored. Cervelli has resumed workouts, so Diaz's time as a full-time player may be coming to an end, though that could change if Cervelli is dealt prior to the trade deadline.