MLB Player News

Diaz will start and bat sixth Tuesday against the Reds.

Prior to his recall, Diaz hit .305/.317/.441 in 61 plate appearances for Triple-A Indianapolis. Given the health concerns surrounding Pittsburgh's top two catchers (Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart), the 26-year-old could be in line for plenty of opportunity in 2017. He won't hit for power or steal bases, but Diaz has shown the ability to hit for average in the upper minor leagues over the past few seasons.

McCann is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Indians.

The 26-year-old has just nine hits on the season (.155 batting average), so he'll head to the bench for another night off Tuesday. Alex Avila will take over behind the dish for the evening.

Vazquez is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Orioles, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.

Vazquez seemed to have supplanted Sandy Leon as the top catcher in the pecking order, but Tuesday marks the second day in a row that the former will be watching the game from the bench. It's unclear what manager John Farrell's plan on this is moving forward, but Vazquez should continue to get plenty of playing time given his stellar start to the season at the plate (1.032 OPS, four homers).

Diaz was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

With the Pirates temporarily in need of another catcher while Francisco Cervelli nurses a foot injury, Diaz got the call, with John Bormann being optioned in a corresponding move. The 26-year-old is slashing .305/.317/.441 through 59 at-bats with Indianapolis this season. Cervelli remains confident that he won't need a DL stint, so if that's the case, Diaz's stay in the majors could be a brief one.

Gomes is not in the lineup Monday against the Tigers.

Gomes will take a seat for the second straight game as Roberto Perez takes over behind the dish. The 29-year-old should continue to see the bulk of action behind the plate despite his .176/.276/.275 slash line.

Stewart will start at catcher and bat eighth in the order Monday against the Reds, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

With Francisco Cervelli (foot) nursing a foot injury, Stewart will be behind the dish for the second day in a row after going 1-for-3 with a walk in Sunday's game against the Marlins. Cervelli has said that he doesn't expect to land on the disabled list, so if that holds true, Stewart will only be in line for a short-term run as the Pirates' primary option behind the plate.

D'Arnaud (back) is batting seventh and playing catcher Monday against the Braves.

After getting Sunday's game off with back tightness, d'Arnaud is back in the lineup. The 28-year-old will look to turn things around at the plate Monday, as he has just two hits (albeit home runs, with both coming in the same game) in his last 22 at-bats.

Vazquez is out of the lineup Monday against the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

With three straight starts heading into the series opener, Vazquez appears to have taken over as the Red Sox's primary option behind the plate, but he'll give way to Sandy Leon on Monday. Vazquez is a top-flight defender, but his 14-for-34 showing at the dish through the first month of the season has been the main reason he's catapulted Leon on the depth chart.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup Monday against the Pirates.

Mesoraco is out of the lineup for the second straight game, though he did notch two at-bats and work a couple of innings behind the plate in Sunday's win over the Cardinals. The 28-year-old is on a strict playing-time schedule after appearing in just 39 games over the past two seasons, so seeing him get back-to-back days off shouldn't be too surprising. Tucker Barnhart will take over behind the dish for Mesoraco as the two continue to split time.

Perez sprinted out of the gate in 2017, hitting .272 with six home runs and 12 RBI through the season's first month.

The Royals' backstop leads AL catchers in home runs and is tied with Baltimore's Welington Castillo with 22 total hits. Perez's .837 OPS also tops the charts among that group. What's even more encouraging is that the veteran's .271 BABIP is uncharacteristically low, suggesting increased production is attainable.