MLB Player News

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, Newsday's Marc Carig reports.

Although the doubleheader is the likely reason for d'Arnaud's absence, the catcher could likely use some rest after starting the past four games behind the plate. In his place, Rene Rivera will catch for Robert Gsellman.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup Friday against the Dodgers.

This marks the second straight game that Mesoraco will watch from the bench. The Reds really seem to be taking things very cautiously with the oft-injured catcher, although he also has just two hits in his past 21 at-bats. Tucker Barnhart will assume catching duties for the evening in his place.

McCann is batting eighth and starting behind the dish Friday against the Red Sox.

In his first game back from the disabled list, McCann will get the nod at backstop over Alex Avila as the Red Sox send southpaw Brian Johnson to the mound. McCann is batting .286 against left-handed pitchers this season compared to Avila's .100 mark, so he should at least see regular starts against southpaws moving forward.

McCann (hand) was activated from the disabled list Friday.

As expected, McCann is back with the Tigers after missing the last two weeks with a hand injury. Alex Avila has been mashing while filling in for McCann behind the dish, so it's unclear how big of a role the 26-year-old will play now that he is healthy again. John Hicks was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Vazquez is out of the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Tigers, Evan Drellich of CSN New England reports.

Vazquez continues to split time with Sandy Leon, who is behind the dish for Friday's contest and batting eighth in the order. In the two games Vazquez started against the Yankees, he went 0-for-7 at the plate with three strikeouts, but he has clearly been an upgrade over Leon thus far in 2017.

Realmuto is not in the lineup Friday against the Pirates, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Despite collecting hits in each of the last three games, Realmuto will head to the bench for a breather Friday. A.J. Ellis will draw the start in his stead, batting eighth. Realmuto is enjoying a nice year at the dish, slashing .291/.359/.439 in 51 games.

Diaz is not in the lineup Friday against the Marlins.

Diaz is expected to pick up most of the starts while both Francisco Cervelli (concussion) and Chris Stewart (hamstring) are sidelined, but the young backstop will get a night off after two consecutive starts. Jacob Stallings will assume catching duties for the evening.

Contreras is not in the Cubs' lineup Friday against the Rockies, Bruce Miles of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.

The backstop continues his timeshare with Miguel Montero, who'll receive pitches from Mike Montgomery. Contreras has struggled to build on his exciting 2016 stint, batting just .248/.317/.404 with five home runs and 24 RBI in 180 plate appearances this season.

Hedges went 1-for-4 with two RBI during Thursday's loss to Arizona.

Hedges has started 49 of 61 games for the Padres, which means he's one of the busier catchers in the league. It's a huge boon to his counting stats and fantasy value. While Hedges' .211 batting average and .261 on-base percentage are category anchors, 11 home runs and 30 RBI are top-tier numbers for a backstop.

Perez (thumb) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Perez suffered a slight thumb sprain during Wednesday's game that forced the catcher to come out of the contest in the eighth inning. Manager Ned Yost stated that he was not concerned about the injury, but it seems as though the Royals will be cautious with Perez and give him the night off in favor of Drew Butera before heading to San Diego this weekend.