MLB Player News

Yankees catcher Chris Stewart was a little underwhelming in his first weekend as New York's starting catcher. Stewart, who was given Monday off with Austin Romine making his first start, went just 1 for 7 in two games. 

Stewart struck out twice and singled for his only hit against Toronto pitching. He was 1 for 9 with two walks and three Ks in the series overall. Stewart is batting .267 for the year with a homer and one RBI. 

Brewers backup catcher Martin Maldonado connected for his first home run of the season Saturday against the Dodgers. Maldonado had a two-run homer off Matt Guerrier.

Maldonado, who has made five starts in 22 games, is batting .200 (7 for 35) with three doubles and six RBI in 11 games.

The Indians recalled catcher Yan Gomes from Triple-A Columbus Sunday after placing catcher Lou Marson on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right shoulder. Gomes hit .211 (4 for 19) in six games for Cleveland before his demotion Wednesday.

Royals catcher Salvador Perez finally got on the board Saturday against the Indians after not hitting a home run in his first 19 games. He launched a two-run bomb off starter Scott Kazmir in the second inning and finished 1 for 4 in the 3-2 win.

Perez is batting .273 with eight RBI.

Yankees backup catcher Chris Stewart has been a pleasant surprise in a limited role, but he will likely be asked to carry a much heavier burden for at least the next month. Starter Francisco Cervelli went down Friday with a fractured right hand, an injury that will cost him at least six weeks after surgery.

The Yankees will likely make a move to fill in the backup spot, but Stewart should get the first crack at the starting role, thanks to his .333 batting average so far. Despite entering a larger role, Stewart is unlikely to make much of an impact for Fantasy owners. He is a career .223 hitter, with five home runs in 372 at-bats. He is playing for his glove, not his bat, and most Fantasy leagues don't reward for caught stealing and pitches successfully blocked in the dirt.

Everyday at-bats will likely expose Stewart as incapable of handling a large share of the catching duties, and it would not be a surprise if he is eventually backing up former top prospect Austin Romine before long. Beyond deep, two-catcher, AL-only Fantasy formats, Stewart is likely not worth your time. 

Royals catcher Salvador Perez has yet to hit a home run this season in 19 games played. He's hitting .274/.280/.356 in 75 plate appearances.

Perez homered in his first game of 2012 en route to hitting 11 home runs in 305 plate appearances, and he had multiple home runs in June, July, August and September of last season. He'll attempt to notch his first homer of 2013 in this weekend's series against the Indians.

Padres catching prospect Austin Hedges had to leave Wednesday's Class-A game.

Hedges was involved in a collision at the plate in the sixth inning and could not continue playing. After the game, Hedges said, "it's just a little sore, but it's nothing serious." There has been no update on whether Hedges will miss any games. 

The Indians optioned catcher Yan Gomes to Triple-A Columbus Wednesday after activating catcher Lou Marson (neck) off the disabled list. Gomes hit .211 (4 for 19) with one triple, two home runs and three RBI in six games.

Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco was left out of the lineup Tuesday against the Cubs. Corky Miller replaced him behind the plate.

Mesoraco caught 35 innings over the previous three games after a couple went extra innings. 

"I'm fine. I feel like I can catch as many as we play, no matter when it is," Mesoraco told MLB.com. "It's different in the big leagues, I think, because the stakes are much higher. I feel like I trained for this in the offseason, to play every day and catch as many innings as they want."

Devin Mesoraco hasn't produced much as a major leaguer, but then again, the Reds haven't given him much of a chance to play. Now with Ryan Hanigan (oblique) on the 15-day disabled list, Mesoraco should see some regular starts, at least for awhile.

With an uptick in playing time, Mesoraco could easily be an upgrade in Fantasy over several catchers who are more widely owned, like Francisco Cervelli, Welington Castillo and Jason Castro. Don't expect Mesoraco to hit for average, but he could provide a boost to your lineup's power and run production.