MLB Player News

Leon went 1-for-3 with an RBI single in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Rays.

Leon slashed a well-placed single to left field in the eighth inning to plate J.D. Martinez with the go-ahead run, his second RBI of the season. It was a rare bright moment for Leon's bat, as the 1-for-3 performance raised his batting average to .129. While both of Boston's catchers have underwhelmed offensively, there are no plans to make a change at this point. That's because Leon and Christian Vazquez are superior to Blake Swihart in the non-hitting aspects of the position. Leon, for example, has been catching on days when Rick Porcello pitches and that's worked out well, as Porcello has allowed just one home run over 40.1 innings and carries a 2.23 ERA into his next start Friday at Texas.

Sanchez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's win over the Angels.

He also struck out twice, but the homer proved to be the difference in the 2-1 win. Sanchez is still struggling to hit for average (.208), but he's not lacking in the power department. The 25-year-old leads all catchers with his seven home runs and 24 RBI.

Maldonado is out of the lineup for Sunday's matchup against the Yankees.

Over the last seven games, Maldonado has gone 0-for-14, bringing his batting average down to .156 for the year. He'll get the day off while Rene Rivera fills in behind the dish.

Nido will start at catcher and bat eighth Sunday against the Padres, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Despite having their top two backstops in Kevin Plawecki (hand) and Travis d'Arnaud (elbow) on the disabled list, the Mets have thus far resisted looking outside the organization for help at catcher. That has allowed Nido to stick on the active roster for the past three weeks, with the 24-year-old working in a timeshare with veteran Jose Lobaton behind the plate. Both players have hit under .150 during their stints with the Mets, however, so it will be difficult to rely on either for much aid even in NL-only formats, especially while the duo continues to split time in relatively even fashion.

Hedges is out of the lineup Sunday against the Mets.

Hedges exploded with a three-hit, five-RBI performance Saturday, with the latter figure matching his total from his first 22 games of the season combined. He'll be rewarded with an off day in the series finale, affording backup A.J. Ellis a turn behind the plate.

McCann is out of the lineup Sunday against the Orioles, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

It looks to be little more than a routine off day for McCann, who rapped out a season-high three hits in Saturday's contest. With McCann on the bench for the first time in four games, John Hicks will handle the catching duties for Detroit.

Vazquez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Rays, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez was well overdue for a rest after serving behind the plate for the previous four contests. He'll give way Sunday to Sandy Leon, who will work as the batterymate for Rick Porcello in the series finale.

Plawecki (hand) has resumed throwing, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

While this is encouraging news for the backstop, he still hasn't been able to catch since suffering a hairline fracture in his left (catching) hand earlier in the month, leaving his potential return timetable up in the air. The Mets will continue to use a combination of Jose Lobaton and Tomas Nido behind the dish until Plawecki is healthy.

Garver went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo homer in Saturday's win over the Reds.

The long ball was the second of Garver's career (and second this season). With the two-hit day, Garver raised his average 48 points to .250, which goes to show just how little he's played so far. He's made seven starts compared to Jason Castro's 15.

Grandal is not in the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Giants, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Grandal has been the primary catcher for the Dodgers this season, starting 18 of the team's first 25 games behind the plate. Austin Barnes will start the afternoon game in his place, though it's likely both catchers get a start in one half of the doubleheader. Grandal is hitting .316/.409/.566 this season, so expect him to hold onto his starting job for a while.