MLB Player News

Stassi has his contract purchased from Triple-A Fresno on Monday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

With Brian McCann (knee) and Evan Gattis (concussion) both on the shelf, Stassi will get a shot with the big club. He's slashing .266/.383/.473 with 12 homers in 241 at-bats for Fresno this season. He'll serve as the backup for Juan Centeno until Gattis or McCann return, but he should see his share of chances before he is dropped from the roster again.

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup Sunday against the Yankees.

D'Arnaud has just one hit over his last 15 at-bats, so he'll get the day off to gather himself after starting three of the last four games behind the dish. In his place, Rene Rivera will serve as the Mets' backstop, batting eighth.

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

Gomes has just one hit across his last 11 at-bats, so he'll head to the bench for a breather after starting three of the last four games behind the dish. Roberto Perez will serve as the backstop in his stead, batting ninth.

Grandal went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Sunday's win over the Padres.

Sunday's homer was a positive sign for the veteran after he dealt with a minor back injury earlier in the week. This could also signal an end to the streaky catcher's cold streak in which he batted .194 (7-for-36) over his previous 10 starts. Despite his ebbs and flows, Grandal is putting together another solid fantasy campaign with a .263/.313/.471 slash line to go along with 14 homers.

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez will head to the bench for a breather after starting two straight games. With Sandy Leon back to full health, it looks like the two catchers are settling back into their timeshare, with Vazquez still receiving the healthier dose of reps.

Perez (oblique) performed catching drills Sunday with no visible limitations, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

After doing some throwing on the field over the last couple of days, Perez took another step forward Sunday by getting behind the plate for drills. Perez's ability to swing the bat remains the biggest roadblock in his recovery from the right intercostal strain, so until he's able to take batting practice without discomfort, his activation from the disabled list shouldn't be considered imminent.

Hedges is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Hedges went 0-for-8 over the past two games as the Padres' starting catcher, but he'll get the day off with Luis Torrens taking over behind the plate. Expect to see Hedges back in the lineup Monday against the Phillies.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

Mesoraco drew the start Saturday but went 0-for-3 at the plate and was ejected late in the game for jawing with the home plate umpire. He'll give way to Tucker Barnhart, who will bat eighth in the lineup.

Rupp is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.

Rupp is serving as the Phillies' primary backstop in the extended absence of Andrew Knapp (hand), but he will make his way to the bench in favor Jorge Alfaro as the team wraps up its weekend series against Chris Flexen and the Mets.

Nicholas went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Saturday's 8-3 win over the Astros.

Following a 21-minute rain delay in the first inning, Nicholas kicked off the scoring for the evening with a three-run blast off Mike Fiers in the second, marking his first long ball of the season. Nicholas was picking up his second start behind the plate in three games, and his performance Saturday only gives manager Jeff Banister further reason to hand the 29-year-old more regular at-bats. Robinson Chirinos has served as the team's primary catcher following the July 30 trade of Jonathan Lucroy, but with a 5-for-25 (.200 average) showing at the dish since that time, he may have seen his hold on the role loosen.