MLB Player News

Sanchez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Blue Jays, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone suggested a day earlier that Sanchez would likely be rested for the series finale, so the slugger's absence doesn't come as a surprise. Austin Romine will take his first turn behind the plate this season and bat ninth for New York.

Barnhart is not in the starting lineup Sunday against the Nationals.

Barnhart started the first two games of the year for the Reds, going 1-for-7 at the plate. He'll now be held out for what appears to be just a regular maintenance day, giving way to Devin Mesoraco behind the plate.

Contreras is out of the lineup Sunday against the Marlins.

Contreras has been behind the plate for each of Chicago's first three games, going a combined 4-for-17 (.235) with seven strikeouts. He'll take a seat for the series finale, however, giving way to Victor Caratini at catcher.

McCann will be on the bench for the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Pirates, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The Tigers will stick with the same lineup they planned to go with Saturday before that contest was rained out, so McCann will give way to John Hicks in the first half of the twin bill before returning behind the plate for Game 2. McCann went 2-for-6 with a double, walk, run and two RBI in the Tigers' 13-inning loss in the season opener Friday.

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup Sunday against the Cardinals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

He'll give way to Kevin Plawecki behind the plate for the second time in three games. Mets manager Mickey Callaway indicated earlier in the spring that d'Arnaud would see fewer at-bats against right-handed pitching in 2018 than he has in seasons past, and it appears that plan has come to pass thus far. While D'Arnaud won't be relegated to the short side of a platoon, it appears the starts could be divvied up fairly evenly between the two catchers.

Perez was traded to the Braves by the Angels on Saturday for infielder Ryan Schimpf, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports. Atlanta is expected to clear roster space to add Perez to the 25-man roster Monday, Grant McAuley of 929 The Game reports.

Tyler Flowers (oblique) is expected to need a lengthy stay on the disabled list, and Kurt Suzuki (hand) was hit by a pitch on his hand Friday, so the Braves needed depth behind the plate. Perez, who was designated for assignment by the Angels earlier in the week, could step into immediate playing time, at least in a part-time role, depending on Suzuki's availability, which may give him some NL-only fantasy interest. Atlanta still has Chris Stewart in tow, though, and most fantasy players in deep mixed leagues should wait for strong evidence from Perez's plate work that he deserves a pickup, though two-catcher competitors have more of a reason to consider him.

Grandal is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Giants.

After starting the first two games of the season, Grandal will head to the bench while Austin Barnes takes over behind the dish. The two are expected to split time at backstop in 2018, with Grandal seeing most plate appearances against right-handed pitchers.

Manager Aaron Boone said Sanchez probably won't play Sunday against the Blue Jays, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez has started the Yankees' first three games behind the dish, so he'll open Sunday's series finale on the bench as Austin Romine picks up the start. While Boone didn't completely rule Sanchez out, it sounds like he wants to give the backstop the entire game off. Look for Sanchez to return to the lineup Monday against the Rays.

Vazquez is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Rays, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Sandy Leon will receive his first action of the season in Vazquez's place. Last season, Vazquez received 345 plate appearances compared to Leon's 301. That ratio is closer to a 50-50 split than a true starter/backup situation, a scenario which figures to continue this season.

Perez is not in the lineup against Seattle on Saturday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Perez will remain on the bench while Yan Gomes earns another start behind the plate. It's expected that the two will split time this season.