MLB Player News

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.

Vazquez isn't in the lineup for Thursday's series opener against Houston, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Vazquez will get the day off after going 0-for-4 in Wednesday's matchup against the Blue Jays. Sandy Leon is slated to handle the catching duties and bat eighth.

Maldonado is not in Thursday's starting lineup against the Tigers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Maldonado will get a breather after starting four straight games. He's gone 3-for-15 with one home run and three RBI over that span. Jose Briceno will handle the catching duties and is slated to bat ninth in Thursday's series finale.

Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBI in Wednesday's win over the Astros.

Sanchez entered Wednesday's tilt amidst an 0-for-18 stretch, but he came through with a clutch two-run single to put the Yankees in the lead. His 12 homers and 33 RBI remain elite among catchers, but his current .211/.313/.485 slash line leaves some room for improvement.

Stassi went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and three RBI in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Yankees.

Stassi provided all of Houston's offense in this one, smacking a two-run homer in the fifth before tacking on an RBI double in the ninth off closer Aroldis Chapman. With Brian McCann (knee) on the disabled list, Stassi is set to take on the primary catching responsibilities in his stead. Even with the injury to McCann, Stassi has earned his playing time, slashing .303/.367/.562 through the opening two months.

Garver will get the day off for Wednesday's series finale versus Kansas City, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Bobby Wilson will take over the catching duties and bat ninth in his stead. Garver has collected three hits over the last two games, and he could be starting to heat up at the plate after breaking out of an 0-for-8 slump.