MLB Player News

Caratini was called up by the Cubs on Friday, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

Caratini may not see much playing time moving forward, even with Willson Contreras (hamstring) shelved for the time being. Alex Avila will likely get most of the starts in Contreras' absence while Caratini battles with Rene Rivera for an occasional nod. Throughout 17 games with the club this season, the 24-year-old Caratini is hitting .268/.318/.415 with one home run and two RBI.

Nicholas went 1-for-3 with a base hit in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Astros.

Nicholas started behind the plate while regular backstop Robinson Chirinos rested for the day game, marking the former's second appearance since Aug. 20. With the Rangers in the thick of the American League wild-card race, it's expected that the hot-hitting Chirinos will start at catcher in just about every scenario except day games after night games, so don't expect Nicholas' at-bats to pick up until Texas is eliminated.

The Blue Jays activated Maile (knee) from the 10-day disabled list on Friday, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports.

Maile has hit at a .121 clip in the majors this year and will serve only as only an occasional contributor, with Russell Martin (oblique) returning soon and Miguel Montero occupying the top backup role.

The Indians promoted Mejia from Double-A Akron on Friday.

The backstop, who was one of last summer's hottest minor-league players in the midst of his 50-game hit streak, could log at least one start per week, which could help some AL-only fantasy players. Mejia finishes his Akron campaign with a stellar .297/.346/.490 line, 14 home runs and seven stolen bases over 383 plate appearances.

Vazquez had his mask knocked off his face by a backswing during Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Yankees, Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald reports.

Vazquez remained in the game after the incident, but it's something the Red Sox will monitor heading into Friday's game. "He continued to check out fine after the back swing by [Gary] Sanchez caught him on the side of the head," manager John Farrell said. "We were taking every precaution in between to maintain his alertness, which he did."

Sanchez went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and two RBI during Thursday's win over Boston.

This was Sanchez's 12th homer in August, and he now sports a .272/.343/.531 slash line with 28 bombs, 77 RBI and 66 runs. Those are top-tier numbers at the catcher position, and Sanchez is heating up at the right time for fantasy owners.

Sanchez was traded to the Braves on Thursday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

He was the other piece in the deal that sent Brandon Phillips to the Angels. Sanchez, who joined the Angels this offseason, slashed a respectable .272/.355/.374 over 243 at-bats at Triple-A Salt Lake this year. He'll add organizational depth behind the plate for the Braves.

Mejia is expected to earn a promotion to the big-league club prior to Friday's doubleheader against the Tigers, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

Mejia has spent this entire season with Double-A Akron, batting .297/.346/.490 with 14 home runs and 52 RBI. The catcher is the top prospect in Cleveland's organization and recorded a 50-game hitting streak in 2016. Moving forward, Mejia will get his first taste of the majors over the next month and will likely see some action as the Indians continue to pull away from the pack in the AL Central. Once the regular season ends, Mejia is set to get some opportunities at the hot corner in the Arizona Fall League.

Narvaez is out of the lineup against the Twins on Thursday.

Narvaez will occupy a spot on the bench for the third time in the past four games as Kevan Smith draws another start behind the plate. Throughout the course of August, Narvaez is hitting .275/.393/.353 with four RBI in 17 games.

McCann went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run, a walk and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Rockies.

Since the Tigers traded away Alex Avila before the July 31 trade deadline, McCann has been a steady presence at catcher. He's batting .265 this month with three home runs and 10 RBI, and he should remain a serviceable fantasy option in most formats moving forward.