MLB Player News

Jansen will open the season with Triple-A Buffalo.

Jansen reached the Triple-A level for the first time last year, hitting .328/.423/.552 in 21 games. Russell Martin is entrenched as the starter in Toronto and is unlikely to yield that position until he becomes a free agent after the 2019 season, but he's 35, so there's certainly the risk than an injury could open up playing time for Jansen this season. The biggest threat to Jansen's value might be his fellow Triple-A backstop, Reese McGuire. McGuire has a strong defensive reputation and had a solid season at the plate last year as well, hitting .278/.366/.492 in 34 games for Double-A New Hampshire.

Contreras went 2-for-3 in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Brewers.

Contreras is now 9-for-30 over his last seven games, and he appears to be back on track following a slow start to the season. He figures to see plenty of opportunities at the dish as long as he can stay healthy. The Cubs begin a three-game series with the Pirates on Monday.

Stassi went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Padres.

Stassi's fifth-inning bomb snapped Houston's streak of 29-plus innings without an extra-base knock. The catcher, who revamped his swing last season to hit more flyballs, is 6-for-15 with two doubles, a home run and five RBI over six games (four starts).

Gomes went 1-for-4 with a home run in Sunday's 3-1 victory over the Royals.

Gomes entered Sunday's game having gone 2-for-17 (.118) over five outings this season, with one of those hits being a home run. Cleveland's bats were quiet for much of the game, as the team combined to record just four hits. However, Gomes managed to pick up his third hit of the year in the bottom of the ninth inning, as he hit a two-run walkoff home run. Although he's shown power early this season, Gomes is expected to continue sharing time behind the dish with Roberto Perez.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore said Sunday that swelling has "vacated" Perez's sprained left knee, and the catcher is expected to "get back a little bit before" the 4-to-6-week recovery timeline established March 28, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports reports.

Since Perez has yet to resume baseball activities, it's too early to predict with much confidence that he'll be ready to go by the end of April, as Moore seems to be forecasting. In any case, the fact Perez has healed a little faster than anticipated counts as positive news and may convince any owners with limited bench spots who were thinking of cutting him to think twice. The Royals will likely provide additional updates on Perez's condition over the next few weeks before a firmer return date is sussed out.

McCann is out of the lineup Sunday against the White Sox.

McCann will receive a routine rest after starting the first two games of the series and going 1-for-8 at the dish. John Hicks will settle in behind the plate, catching for Mike Fiers.

Sanchez (calf) is out of the lineup Sunday against the Orioles, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Sanchez will be held out for the second straight day with a calf issue, which he first experienced during the Yankees' extra-inning loss Friday in the series opener. The injury was initially categorized as a cramp, but the back-to-back absences suggest that Sanchez could be dealing with some lingering soreness. There's been no indication that Sanchez will be bound for the disabled list, so the Yankees are hopeful that two more days of rest -- the team is off the schedule Monday -- will be enough for the backstop to reenter the lineup Tuesday in Boston.

Maldonado is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Athletics, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Maldonado heads to the bench Saturday after starting the last two games for the Angels. The 31-year-old has yet to start more than two consecutive games this season and will yield to Rene Rivera behind the plate Saturday.

Grandal will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Giants, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Grandal will now have started five of the team's first eight games, a fairly normal workload for a starting catcher, despite the presence of Austin Barnes, one of the best backup catchers in the league. Barnes will catch and hit seventh Saturday. Grandal is off to a hot start, hitting .350/.432/.550 in his first 23 plate appearances.

Gomes is not in the starting nine for Saturday's game against Kansas City.

Gomes will head to the bench in favor of Roberto Perez after starting the past two games behind the dish. Through five starts this season, Gomes is hitting .118 with one home run and three RBI.