MLB Player News

Realmuto will lead off Saturday against the Mets, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

After getting the day off Friday, Realmuto is back behind the dish Saturday while also sliding up to fill in for Dee Gordon at the top of the order. Manager Don Mattingly will look to ride the 26-year-old's scorching start to the season, as Realmuto is 7-for-12 with two homers and four RBI in the season's first week.

Leon is out of the starting lineup for Saturday's game against Detroit, Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald reports.

It appears to be a regular rest day for Leon and a chance for Christian Vazquez to get some work behind the plate. The switch-hitter is off to a sizzling start this season, going 5-for-12 with a home run, so he'll likely be back in the lineup for Sunday's contest.

Vazquez is in the starting lineup Saturday, catching and batting ninth, Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald reports.

It will be the season debut for Vazquez, currently serving in a backup role to Sandy Leon. The 26-year-old slashed .227/.277/.308 with 12 RBI in 57 games last season, his first since returning from an elbow injury that sidelined his 2015 campaign. Nonetheless, the team is excited about his defensive abilities -- he threw out five potential basestealers in spring training -- so he could be on track for more regular playing time.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season in Friday's loss to the Orioles.

Sanchez absolutely crushed what would prove to be Ubaldo Jimenez's final pitch of the night to put the Bombers up 5-1 in the fifth inning, though the Yankees would eventually end up squandering the lead in the losing effort. It's still far too early to draw conclusions about this season yet, but Friday's performance will likely serve to at least calm down those worried after the 24-year-old got off to a 1-for-14 start through the club's opening three games.

McCann went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk in Friday's win over the Red Sox.

McCann's first homer of 2017 gave the Tigers a 4-0 lead in the seventh inning of a game they'd eventually have to come back to win in the ninth. After seeing his home run output increase from seven in 2015 to 12 in 2016, the 26-year-old catcher certainly could continue to see his power rise as he enters his prime. With solid options at catcher being an issue for many fantasy owners, he could end up being a player that exceeds expectations this year.

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

The 26-year-old catcher has been white hot to begin the season, putting up a 1.810 OPS through the first three games of the campaign. He'll head to the bench for a normal day of rest and cede the start to A.J. Ellis. Realmuto should be back in the lineup Saturday given his success at the plate.

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup Friday against the Marlins.

The 28-year-old has hit safely in each of the games he's started this season, but he'll get a regular night off to begin New York's three-game weekend series. Rene Rivera will set up behind the dish in d'Arnaud's stead.

Sanchez (concussion) was placed on the 7-day disabled list Friday.

The Padres' backup catcher left Thursday's contest prematurely after being hit with a foul ball, and it seems like his concussion symptoms are bad enough to warrant a trip to the DL. To fill his spot on the roster, Jabari Blash was summoned to the big leagues.

Narvaez is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Twins.

Geovany Soto will receive his second straight start after blasting two homers in his season debut Thursday. Evidently, Narvaez will need to make the most of his playing time if he wants to remain the team's primary catcher.

Mejia went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's Opening Day contest for Double-A Akron.

The Tribe's top prospect put on a show in his first-ever Double-A contest. One could argue that the 21-year-old is capable of being semi-productive at the major-league level right now, but it would take an injury for Mejia to have a chance at sniffing the big leagues this season. However, the catcher's development is worthy of attention from deep-league fantasy owners.