MLB Player News

Hedges is not in the lineup Thursday against St. Louis.

Hedges will get a standard day off following two straight starts, while Luis Torrens draws the assignment behind the plate. Over the past 10 games, Hedges is slashing just .135/.154/.216.

Gomes is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox.

Gomes is hitless over his last 11 at-bats, so he'll get the day off to gather himself after starting three of the past four games at backstop. In his place, Roberto Perez will take over behind the dish, batting eighth.

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Indians, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Vazquez went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Wednesday's contest, so he'll hit the bench for the second time in three games as Sandy Leon draws another start behind the dish. The Red Sox will continue to deploy Vazquez and Leon in what is seemingly an unpredictable timeshare.

Contreras (hamstring) took batting practice prior to Thursday's game against the Reds, Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune reports.

This marks the first time Contreras was able to partake in batting practice since landing on the DL about two weeks ago. In recent days, the 25-year-old was able to participate in agility drills as well as catch Jake Arrieta during a side session. Contreras remains on a path to return to the big-league team right around the middle of September.

Perez is not in the Royals' lineup Thursday, 610 Sports Radio KC reports.

Drew Butera will slide in behind the dish to give Perez a break. The club has decided not to use Perez as a designated hitter anymore in order to preserve his health more effectively. Fantasy players should expect to get a little less work out of him, and this decision cuts into his value a bit. Still, he's one of the more reliable names at his position.

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup Thursday against Arizona.

Following three starts in the past four games, d'Arnaud will get the matinee off in favor of Kevin Plawecki. Since the beginning of August, the catcher is batting .207/.230/.310 with one home run and five RBI.

Perez won't be used as the designated hitter for the rest of the season, the Associated Press reports.

Perez has been the DH for 13 games this year, but manager Ned Yost believes that role is too risky for his All-Star backstop moving forward. An intercostal strain has hampered the veteran for a while now, and he missed 15 games after aggravating the ailment in early August. "When you're catching, you're staying loose and you're staying mobile," said Yost. "When you're [the DH], you have an at-bat and then sit." Although a slight reduction in at-bats will put a small dent in his value, Perez remains a top option across all formats.

Sanchez went 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Wednesday's 10-2 win over the Tigers.

His mammoth August continues, and Sanchez is now slashing .311/.376/.757 through his last 20 games with 10 homers and 21 RBI. While he hasn't quite matched the production from his explosive 2016 debut, the 24-year-old's 26 home runs, 72 RBI and .892 OPS on the season still lead all starting catchers.

Stassi went 1-for-2 with a solo homer and two walks in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Nationals.

Stassi's just 3-for-14 this season, but two of his hits have left the yard. The catcher also has an impressive 1:3 K:BB over that span, and should continue to get a sizable chunk of playing time with Houston battling the injury bug behind the plate.

Contreras (hamstring) participated in agility drills and caught for teammate Jake Arrieta on Wednesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Contreras' workout Wednesday included sprints and additional running drills. He did a similar workout Tuesday, so seeing him be able to increase his level of activity in such a short amount of time is certainly promising. If he keeps his current pace, a mid-September activation from the disabled list should be in order for Contreras. Until then, Alex Avila and Rene Rivera will share time in the Cubs' lineup.