MLB Player News

Leon started a second straight game for the first time this season and went 1-for-4 in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Astros.

Leon's started eight of the last 15 games, a greater rate of playing time than he was getting at the start of the season, when he played just 10 of the first 30 games. The change in playing time at catcher appears to be due to Leon's bat heating up. He's gone 15-for-39 (.385) over the last 12 games to raise his batting average to .253 while Christian Vazquez continues to slump at .188.

Garver is out of Friday's lineup against the Indians, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

The 27-year-old will sit out for the second time in the past three games with Bobby Wilson gets the start behind the plate, batting eighth. Garver is hitting .228/.304/.348 in 92 with two home runs in 92 at-bats this season.

Grandal is out of Friday's lineup in Colorado.

He has cooled off a bit, hitting .171/.286/.257 with one home run and 12 strikeouts over his last 10 games (35 at-bats). Austin Barnes will start behind the dish and hit seventh.

Sanchez is out of the lineup for Friday's game in Baltimore, Mike Mazzeo of the New York Daily News reports.

That's back-to-back games on the bench for Sanchez, who had started the previous six games. The 25-year-old has 12 home runs and 35 RBI on the season, but is currently mired in a 2-for-24 slump.

Contreras is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Mets.

Contreras will take a breather after starting 10 of the last 11 games for the Cubs. Chris Gimenez will start at catcher and bat eighth against Zack Wheeler and the Mets on Friday.

Plawecki is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs.

Plawecki will take a seat for the second consecutive game, and the Mets also recalled Jose Lobaton to serve as the team's third catcher. Devin Mesoraco will get another start behind the plate and bat fourth against the Cubs on Friday.

Stassi, who was given the day off Thursday, will catch the next three games, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Stassi has become the primary starter behind the plate after Brian McCann (knee) was placed on the 10-day disabled list. While the playing time was somewhat equitable when Stassi and McCann were sharing the job, Stassi is expected to get a significant share of the at-bats at catcher with Tim Federowicz up from Triple-A Fresno to replace McCann. Now might be a good time to look at Stassi for fantasy lineups, as he's riding a seven-game hitting streak in which he's gone 9-for-26 with three doubles, two home runs and seven RBI.

Hedges (elbow) was cleared to resume throwing Thursday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Hedges got the OK from doctors to pick up a throwing program after being shut down last week with renewed discomfort in his injured elbow. He'll continue to ramp up his baseball activities in the coming days before eventually heading back out on a minor-league rehab assignment. A.J. Ellis and Raffy Lopez will continue to fill in behind the dish for the Padres while Hedges is on the shelf, likely until at least mid-June.

Casali was traded from the Rays to the Reds on Thursday.

The 29-year-old backstop figures to head to the big leagues after Cincinnati demoted Tony Cruz to Triple-A Louisville. Casali put together a .274/.327/.453 slash line with four homers and 20 RBI over 28 games at Triple-A Durham this season.

Sanchez is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Orioles, Mike Mazzeo of the New York Daily News reports.

Sanchez has started six straight games, so he'll head to the bench for a breather while Austin Romine sets up behind the dish in his stead. Sanchez is hitting just .211 this season, though his 12 homers and 35 RBI are elite numbers among backstops.