MLB Player News

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.

Castillo had his contract purchased from the independent Long Island Ducks on Thursday.

Castillo was hitting .308/.400/.492 with two homers across 19 games with the Ducks prior to latching on with the Yankees. The 34-year-old has appeared in just 22 big-league games over his 15-year career, and none since 2009, so don't expect him to serve as anything more than organizational catching depth with the Yankees.

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Despite extending his hitting streak to four games with a 1-for-4 showing at the plate Wednesday, Vazquez will give way to Sandy Leon behind the dish for the series finale. The two have fallen into more of an equal timeshare recently with Leon heating up at the dish in May (.320/.414/.480 across nine games), as both have seen four starts in the Red Sox's past eight games.

Sanchez (calf) struck out as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of Wednesday's 12-10 loss to the Rangers.

The Yankees held Sanchez out of the lineup a day after he experienced cramping in his right calf. The fact that Sanchez was able to come off the bench for an at-bat suggests that the calf issue isn't anything overly worrisome, making it likely that he'll reenter the starting nine Friday against the Angels as the Yankees' catcher or designated hitter.

Plawecki (hand) played five innings behind the plate and went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in his first rehab game at Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Plawecki will probably need to log a full nine-inning game behind the plate in addition to picking up some more at-bats before the Mets bring him back from the 10-day disabled list. Once that happens, Plawecki will likely unseat Devin Mesoraco as the Mets' primary backstop, but the 27-year-old doesn't project as a major fantasy asset outside of leagues that count on-base percentage as a category.

Narvaez will serve as the White Sox's No. 1 catcher after Welington Castillo was suspended for 80 games, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Castillo's ban for violating the joint drug agreement was formally announced Thursday, and it will be Narvaez who sees the bulk of the playing time in his absence with Alfredo Gonzalez working behind him in the backup role. Narvaez has very little pop to speak of and he's been striking out more early on this season, but he takes his walks and that helps him in OBP leagues (.373 on-base percentage last season).