MLB Player News

Gonzalez went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Saturday's 8-4 win over the Tigers.

Gonzalez made his major-league debut Saturday, a couple of days after getting the callup from Triple-A Charlotte. The 25-year-old Gonzalez has a reputation as a good pitch framer, but his .163/.271/.185 line at Triple-A should scare off fantasy owners. He and Omar Narvaez, who leads the majors in passed balls (eight), will share the catching duties until Welington Castillo finishes serving his 80-game suspension.

Barnhart is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rockies.

Tony Cruz will step in to catch for starter Tyler Mahle in the second game of the series. Barnhart provides most of his value to the Reds behind the plate, but he's made real strides with the bat over the past couple seasons. The 27-year-old is hitting .323/.371/.477 in May and his season triple-slash numbers are up slightly across the board from a year ago.

Caratini was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Bruce Miles of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.

Chris Gimenez was called up and will take over the backup role behind Willson Contreras. Caratini didn't do much during his latest stint in Chicago (.262 average, .046 ISO in 69 plate appearances), but there is certainly still hope for the 24-year-old long term. He hit .342/.393/.558 with 10 homers in 83 games with Iowa last season.

Maldonado is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees.

Maldonado will head to the bench for a breather after starting the previous nine games behind the dish. In his place, Jose Briceno will make his major-league debut at catcher, hitting ninth.

Sanchez (calf) went 1-for-3 with a walk in Friday's win over the Angels.

He was back behind the plate, which suggests the calf cramping that kept him out of Wednesday's lineup is no longer an issue. Sanchez has added 30 points to his batting average over the last two weeks and is slugging .539 with 12 homers, making him pretty easily the most valuable catcher in fantasy to this point.

Hedges pulled himself out of the lineup at Triple-A El Paso on Thursday with soreness in his elbow, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Hedges appeared to be on the verge of a return but he'll be be forced to slow things down after experiencing renewed discomfort in his elbow. An MRI earlier this month showed no structural damage. Raffy Lopez and A.J. Ellis will continue to share catching duties until Hedges is cleared for activation.

Grandal is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Padres.

Padres left-hander Clayton Richard will take the mound Friday, sending Grandal to the bench. Austin Barnes will start behind the plate and bat eighth for the Dodgers.

Narvaez went 1-for-3 in Thursday's 9-3 loss to the Orioles.

Narvaez will shoulder a heavier load after primary starter Welington Castillo was suspended for 80 games. The White Sox called up Alfredo Gonzalez from Triple-A Charlotte for depth at the position, but this is his first exposure to the majors. That suggests Narvaez will receive the greater share of at-bats, but at .188/.278/.250 through 73 plate appearances, he's not an attractive fantasy option.

Perez went 2-for-4 with four RBI in Kansas City's 8-2 victory over the Rangers on Thursday.

Perez ended up knocking in half of his team's runs on the day with a pair of two-run knocks and he's now driven in 26 runs in his first 30 games since coming off the disabled list with a knee injury. The big catcher remains one of the most reliable sources of run production and consistent at-bats at the position.

Gomes is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros.

Gomes will head to the bench for Thursday's series opener after starting four of the past five games behind the dish. Roberto Perez will start behind the dish and hit eighth in his stead.