MLB Player News

Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez made a big impact in his second major-league game Friday, an 8-3 win over the Astros.

Vazquez went hitless in his major-league debut Wednesday, but made up for it Friday. He was 3 for 4 with two runs scored and two doubles. He drove in runs with each of those doubles, finishing the game with three driven in during the win.

Vazquez is now 3 for 7 in his first two major-league games. 

Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco slugged his 16th home run Friday against the Pirates. 

Mesoraco's big fly sparked the team's eighth inning comeback. He worked a four-pitch at-bat from Tony Watson. On the final pitch, Mesoraco belted a 96 mph fastball out to left for the solo shot. He finished 1 for 4, with one run scored and one RBI. 

The Reds optioned catcher Tucker Barnhart back to Triple-A Louisville Friday, just a few days after he was called up. He appeared in two games, going 2 for 5. 

The Indians got a big performance from catcher Roberto Perez in his major-league debut Thursday, in a 9-3 win over the Yankees.

Perez reached base three times in the win, going 2 for 3 with a walk. He added a home run and two RBI, while scoring twice.

Perez spent two days on the roster before getting his first action, so it is not clear how much playing time he might find moving forward. 

It's too early to tell anything -- most any player can go off for a two-week stretch -- but the timing of this particular hot streak and the history of the player in question make it too enticing to ignore.

In 13 games since returning from the minors, Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud is hitting .300 (15 for 50) with three home runs and a .900 OPS.

No, his plate discipline hasn't been especially good -- he has 13 strikeouts to just three walks during that stretch -- but that wasn't exactly his calling card in the minors either. He was just a good hitter, routinely hitting well over .300 with plus power.

It's worth noting he hit .436 (24 for 55) with six home runs and a 1.384 OPS during his stint in the minors, but that was at Triple-A Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League, a level he dominated while in the Blue Jays organization as well. Still, it all plays into d'Arnaud's theory that he was simply trying to do too much in his previous stints in the majors.

So a former top prospect who struggles to find his footing in the majors gets sent down, rediscovers his stroke and comes back to put up the numbers everyone from him all along. Again, it's not an open-and-shut case, but if you need a catcher (perhaps if you lost Yadier Molina), it's reason enough to act.

Royals catcher Salvador Perez came through in a big way Wednesday against the Rays.

With his team trailing by two, Perez stepped to the plate with two men on in the top of the ninth inning. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Perez belted a 91 mph fastball out to left for the go-ahead blast. The Royals hung on to win the game, making Perez the hero.

Perez finished 2 for 5, with two runs scored and three RBI. 

Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud went 1 for 3 with a two-run home run in his team's 4-1 win over the Braves Wednesday.

d'Arnaud has picked up at least one hit in 12 of his 13 games since returning from the minor leagues, and Wednesday's home run was his third in that span. He has hit .213/.289/.354 with six home runs and 19 RBI in 178 at-bats.

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said Wednesday that the team has no plans to move Evan Gattis to a different position when he returns, meaning Christian Bethancourt will likely be sent back to the minors when Gattis is activated, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

An excellent defensive catcher, Bethancourt has hit .281/.324/.313 in 32 at-bats over eight games since joining the Braves. There was speculation the team could be entertaining a positional shift of Gattis even before his back injury. However, it appears the Braves will stick with Gattis behind the plate and let Bethancourt continue to develop at the Triple-A level.

The Red Sox have been giving Brandon Workman and Rubby De La Rosa some looks in the rotation, and now they have decided to inject some youth on the other end of the battery. They promoted catcher Christian Vazquez from Triple-A Pawtucket on Wednesday, and he will ostensibly get the bulk of the playing time in the aftermath of A.J. Pierzynski getting designated for assignment.

It's Vazquez's defensive skills that likely earned him the promotion, but he does show some promise with the bat. He has demonstrated an ability to make contact and draw walks, though those skills hadn't translated all that well to Triple-A Pawtucket. Vazquez will be hard pressed to replicate his .279 batting average from Pawtucket in the majors, and with little power or speed, he will need to at least come close to have value even in deeper Fantasy formats.

If you need a replacement for, say, Joe Mauer or Pierzynski in an AL-only league, Vazquez will probably be your best waiver option, just on the promise of frequent playing time alone. In mixed league formats, though, you can almost certainly find several more promising options. Owners in dynasty leagues should keep in mind Vazquez's long-term potential as an on-base threat, even if he struggles in his initial exposure to major league pitching.

The Red Sox are set to callup catcher Christian Vazquez from Triple-A Pawtucket Wednesday, after A.J. Pierzynski was designated for assignment.

Manager John Farrell confirmed the move as lineups were released for Wednesday's game against the White Sox, and they had Vazquez in the starting lineup. The 23-year-old was hitting .279/.336/.385 at Triple-A Pawtucket this season.