MLB Player News

Lavisky (ankle) is back in action with Triple-A Columbus.

Lavisky missed all of April with his ankle injury, but he is back on the roster for Columbus. He has appeared in just one game with Anthony Recker seeing the bulk of the playing time behind the plate for the Clippers.

Vazquez is back in the lineup, batting eighth and starting behind the plate, Wednesday against the White Sox, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

While Vazquez's average isn't great-hitting just .225 on the season-he's currently on a six-game hitting streak and picked up his first home run of the season in his last start on Sunday. He replaces Ryan Hanigan in the starting lineup on Wednesday.

Murphy (oblique) is playing games at extended spring training and could rejoin the Triple-A squad soon, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Murphy hasn't been able to appear in a game yet with Triple-A Albuquerque due to the oblique strain, but it appears that he's progressed very well through the rehab process. Unfortunately, he may be locked in the minors for the time being despite his upper-prospect status due to the success of major league backup catcher Tony Wolters.

Casali went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and two runs scored in Tuesday's 10-5 loss to the Dodgers.

The third-year catcher continues to alternate starts with offseason acquisition Hank Conger, although both backstops are currently hitting below the Mendoza line. The gopher ball Tuesday was Casali's second of the season, and only his fourth extra-base hit overall in 51 at-bats.

Nicholas was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Nicholas was seeing fairly regular playing time as the backup catcher, making two consecutive starts on Monday and Tuesday and extending his hitting streak to five games. However, with Bobby Wilson returning from Detroit via trade on Tuesday, Nicholas' services were no longer needed at the major league level.

Moore was designated for assignment by the Indians on Wednesday.

After being added to the 40-man roster at the beginning of May, Moore did not make it into a game during his brief tenure in the big leagues. Prior to being called up, Moore was hitting just .156 in the minors with two home runs and five RBI. The Indians brought back Chris Gimenez, which made Moore surplus to the team's demands, even with Roberto Perez heading to the disabled list with a broken thumb.

Realmuto went 1-for-4 with an RBI and run in Tuesday's win against the Diamondbacks.

Realmuto batted leadoff for the first time in his career, filling in for the suspended Dee Gordon. Manager Don Mattingly's lineup experiment paid off when the catcher doubled and scored in the first inning. Realmuto is batting .485 during an eight-game hitting streak. With most catchers these days hitting at the bottom of lineups and being limited in at-bats, Realmuto's value should skyrocket if he captures the leadoff role for good.

Diaz (elbow) underwent elbow debridement surgery this week and is expected to miss seven-to-nine weeks, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The young catching prospect has been battling elbow issues since late in spring training, and while it looked for a while like he might have been able to avoid surgery with just rest and rehab, the Pirates opted to go the surgical route this week. Fortunately, the procedure he underwent was a debridement rather than Tommy John, so the club is optimistic that Diaz will be able to return in early July.

Plawecki is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Braves.

Plawecki will be held out in favor of Rene Rivera with the Mets playing a day game following a night game. A day off could do Plawecki some good, as he tallied only three hits over his last six starts and is hitting just .176 on the season.

Barnhart is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants, Jamie Ramsey of the Reds' front office reports.

Barnhart started the last five games behind the plate, but he will get the day off Wednesday with the Reds and Giants playing a day game following a night game. Ramon Cabrera will get the start Wednesday in Barnhart's place.