MLB Player News

Narvaez is not in the lineup Friday against the Tigers.

It seemed like he and Kevan Smith were locked in a platoon behind the dish, but Narvaez is sitting out against right-hander Michael Fulmer on Friday. This also marks the fourth game in a row that the 25-year-old is watching from the bench, which could signal a change in the catching pecking order on the South Side.

Mesoraco is out of Friday's lineup against the Braves.

He has essentially been splitting time evenly with Tucker Barnhart of late, and is in the midst of an 0-for-15 funk over his last five games. Barnhart will catch Bronson Arroyo and hit eighth.

Contreras is not in the Cubs' lineup Friday against the Cardinals.

He'll give way to Miguel Montero with John Lackey on the mound. Contreras is inhabiting more of a timeshare with Montero than many fantasy owners thought would happen before the season. Contreras still has posted serviceable numbers for a catcher (.248/.321/.426 with five home runs and 24 RBI in 159 plate appearances), but he's falling short of lofty expectations.

Vazquez went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run during Thursday's loss to Baltimore.

The backstop is in the midst of a mini heater with a 12-for-28 stretch at the dish that includes four doubles, six RBI and four runs through his past eight games. Vazquez sports a rock-solid .348/.378/.467 slash line for the campaign and has settled into a near 50-50 timeshare with Sandy Leon behind the plate. Still, Vazquez has failed to deliver much punch in the counting stats with just 11 RBI and eight runs over 98 plate appearances.

Higashioka is on the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre disabled list with a rib-cage injury, the New York Post reports.

Higashioka hasn't played in a game for the Triple-A squad since May 14, so it's unclear how much longer he'll be sidelined for. The 27-year-old got his first taste of the majors earlier this year when starter Gary Sanchez hit the DL, but went hitless in 18 at-bats while striking out six times. It's possible he gets another promotion at some point this season, but even if he does, it's unlikely Higashioka will make much of an impact in the big leagues in 2017.

Sanchez homered twice and finished 2-for-5 with three RBI during New York's 9-2 win over Toronto on Thursday.

After an up-and-down month of May it seems as though Sanchez is ready to take June by storm, at least if Thursday is any indication. As the starting catcher for the Yankees, Sanchez will see plenty of opportunity to boast gaudy numbers, as he did last year.

Murphy (forearm) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday, Nick Groke of The Denver Post reports.

Murphy, who has been sidelined since spring training with a hairline fracture in his forearm, caught in an extended spring training game for the first time since sustaining the injury. He's expected to catch in another extended spring game Thursday, and if all goes well, he'll head out on a rehab assignment with Albuquerque after taking Friday off. The Rockies haven't specified how many rehab games Murphy will play, but they'll likely play things by ear following each contest. He still appears to be on track to return to the big club in mid June.

Ice was placed on the minor-league disabled list due to a wrist injury.

This likely is the reason why Ice hasn't appeared in a game for Lake County since Monday. It's unclear how severe the injury is, but wrist injuries can be quite tumultuous for hitters. Prior to the injury, Ice was batting .212 with two home runs and 11 RBI for the Captains.

Leon is not in the lineup Thursday against the Orioles, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

This marks the second day in a row that Leon will cede catching duties to Christian Vazquez. On the surface it might seem a little surprising considering Leon has been significantly better against lefties this season (.308 batting average) than against righties (.200 BA) and southpaw Wade Miley is throwing for the Orioles. However, Vazquez almost always catches Thursday's starter Eduardo Rodriguez (along with Drew Pomeranz).

Barnes is batting seventh and catching Thursday against the Cardinals, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

He'll again fill in for Yasmani Grandal as Brandon McCarthy takes the hill. Barnes has proved adept in the backup backstop role, batting .273/.385/.545 in 24 games.