MLB Player News

Maldonado is out of the starting lineup Wednesday against the Orioles.

The 30-year-old will cede catching duties to Juan Graterol for the second time in the last four games, indicating the Angels may be moving away from the slumping Maldonado as an everyday option. The veteran backstop has gone just 2-for-23 over his last seven starts after batting .194 in the month of July.

D'Arnaud is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Rangers.

The catcher will retreat to the bench after starting the past two games behind the plate while Rene Rivera takes over in his place. Since the All-Star break, d'Arnaud is hitting .295/.328/.393 with one home run and eight RBI.

Gomes is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rockies.

Gomes played the hero in Tuesday's 4-1 victory, going 2-for-4 and connecting on a walk-off, three-run home run to help the Indians snap a two-game slide. With the two sides playing a day game after a night game, Gomes will receive a deserved rest, allowing Roberto Perez to pick up a start behind the dish.

Maile (knee) is still weeks away from returning, and he could be out until early September, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

An MRI of Maile's right knee revealed a meniscus tear that required surgery in early July. More than a month removed from when the injury occurred, the team still has no clear timeline for the catcher's return.

Barnhart went 2-for-3 with a walk and a three-run home run in Tuesday's 7-3 loss to the Padres.

It was his fourth homer of the year, and second in 21 games -- along with his second multi-hit performance -- since the All-Star break. Barnhart's workload seems to be catching up to him, as he's hitting only .238 (15-for-63) over that stretch, but hopefully Devin Mesoraco will come back refreshed after his stint on the paternity list.

Hedges went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Tuesday's 7-3 win over the Reds.

The 24-year-old catcher continues to show that last year's power display for Triple-A El Paso wasn't just a product of a friendly hitting environment, as Hedges now has 15 homers in 83 games for the Padres this season. His .228 batting average and .707 OPS leave a lot to be desired, but he's still got plenty of time to improve on those numbers as his career progresses.

Barnes (hand) is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Diamondbacks.

He took a foul ball of his hand in Sunday's game, but his absence from Tuesday's lineup could simply be a matter of him being the No. 2 catcher, and Yasmani Grandal getting a start against righty Zack Godley, which is not unexpected. Continue to consider Barnes day-to-day for now.

Grandal (back) is starting behind the dish and hitting fifth Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.

As expected, Grandal is back in action after missing one game with a sore back. He is hitting .279/.311/.519 with eight home runs over his last 129 at-bats.

Sanchez will start at catcher and bat cleanup Tuesday against the Blue Jays.

Manager Joe Girardi held Sanchez out of the lineup in the Yankees' previous game Sunday against the Indians, citing the 24-year-old's lack of defensive polish as the reason for his benching. The Yankees won't pull the plug on using Sanchez as their primary catcher, but his MLB-leading 12 passed balls have made him a defensive liability this season, and raise questions about his ability to stick behind the plate long term. If Sanchez fails to show much improvement in blocking balls in subsequent starts, he could end up seeing more usage at designated hitter, where the Yankees have a temporary opening with Matt Holliday (back) on the disabled list.

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

Vazquez will take a seat for the second straight game after starting seven consecutive contests behind the dish while Sandy Leon rested his injured knee. Now that Leon is healthy, the two should resume splitting duties behind the dish, though Vazquez should have the slight upper hand.