MLB Player News

Vazquez is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Blue Jays, Tim Britton of The Providence Journal reports.

He had started five of the last six games, notching three hits over that span. Sandy Leon will start behind the dish and hit eighth against lefty J.A. Happ.

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Cardinals.

D'Arnaud has just six hits and possesses a lowly .523 OPS in the past 14 games. He'll hit the bench for the second time in three games to allow Rene Rivera to log a start behind the dish.

Hedges (head) was scratched from Monday's contest with the Rockies.

Hedges reportedly has cleared all concussion tests, but he apparently still doesn't feel completely right. Consider him day-to-day for the time being. Hector Sanchez will hop behind the plate to replace him, batting cleanup.

Sanchez is out of the lineup Monday against the Twins, Pete Caldera of The Record reports.

After he was behind the dish for the second half of Sunday's doubleheader with the Red Sox, Sanchez will be given a breather for the series opener with the Twins as Austin Romine checks in behind the plate. Sanchez finds himself sitting for the second time in three contests following a string of 10 consecutive starts.

Hedges (head) is back in the lineup Monday against the Rockies, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Hedges missed the past two games after experiencing some concussion symptoms over the weekend, but it seems like he's feeling well again. He'll bat eighth in his return to action, pushing Hector Sanchez and Luis Torrens back into a reserve role.

Mesoraco (lat) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville on Monday, Zach Buchanan of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Mesoraco will be behind the plate Monday for the first game of what's expected to be a short rehab assignment for the backstop, who has been on the 10-day disabled list since July 3 due to a strained lat. The injury was never considered as serious as the shoulder issue that required surgery last season, but because of the 29-year-old's checkered health history, the Reds have been cautious with easing him back into action. Once he's activated, Mesoraco will likely reclaim the larger side of a timeshare at catcher with Tucker Barnhart.

Perez will continue getting more defensive rest than he has in previous seasons in an effort to avoid a late-season offensive slump, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

Perez is on pace to catch 1,083 innings in 2017, his fewest since dealing with a knee injury in 2012. With the Royals now thinking a playoff berth is possible, manager Ned Yost wants to ensure Perez's bat is not suffering down the stretch -- like it has in recent years -- due to the stress of catching. "It takes a wear and tear," Yost said of the position. "Especially somebody that's as big and physical as he is. There's benefits to just trying to keep him fresh." Luckily for owners of the 27-year-old, Perez has already logged a career-high 10 starts as the DH, so it doesn't appear his plate appearances will suffer much.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Sunday's 7-1 win over San Francisco.

The veteran backstop punished his former club yet again, going yard for the second time in as many starts against the Giants. Sanchez has flashed some power since returning from the disabled list, homering four times in 25 at-bats. While the recent surge has been impressive, he'll return to a bench role when Austin Hedges (concussion) returns to action Monday against the Rockies.

Contreras went 4-for-5 with a run during Sunday's win over Baltimore.

Contreras got the short end of the stick Sunday, as Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo both hit home runs in front of him and combined to drive in four. Still, Contreras went 8-for-14 with three doubles, a home run, four RBI and three runs during the three-game series against Baltimore. He projects to see a hefty workload going forward and has the potential to be a high-end fantasy catcher in the second half.

Hedges (head) said he's hopeful he'll be able to return to action Monday against the Rockies, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Hedges missed Sunday's game against the Giants after taking a foul ball to the head during Friday's contest, but he said he's feeling better and could have entered Sunday's game, had he been needed. With that in mind, a return Monday, as the Padres open a three-game set in Colorado, seems very possible.