Minnesota Twins catcher Gary Sanchez is absent from Saturday's starting lineup, according to MLB.com. The 29-year-old started Friday's Opening Day game as the designated hitter but will now turn it over to Alex Kirilloff. Sanchez didn't have a great debut with his new team, going 0-for-4 in the 2-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners. He looks to get enough at-bats between catching and appearing at designated hitter to keep fantasy managers happy. However, even with a fresh start, it's hard to say how Sanchez will perform. Last season he slashed just .204/.307/.423 with 23 HRs, a season after he produced a .618 OPS. If Sanchez can't find his swing, the Twins won't keep him in the lineup, especially given his lack of defensive ability behind the dish.

The Minnesota Twins acquired catcher Gary Sanchez and third baseman Gio Urshela from the New York Yankees on Sunday night in exchange for third baseman Josh Donaldson, shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and catcher Ben Rortvedt, according to a source. The Twins traded away catcher Mitch Garver earlier in the week, but they'll now have Sanchez as their starting backstop. The 29-year-old's power is among the best at his position, but he's had trouble making contact and has hit a combined .201 over the last four seasons. Sanchez is still a high-end catching target, but this trade is a downgrade. Urshela, meanwhile, should serve as Minnesota's starting third baseman with Donaldson now in the Bronx. The 30-year-old took a step back in 2021 with a .267/.301/.419 slash line and 14 home runs in 116 games.

The New York Yankees have chosen to tender a contract to catcher Gary Sanchez. Sanchez had been speculated as a non-tender candidate, as his salary is expected to be in the area of $8 million dollars via arbitration, but it appears the catcher market did not offer strong enough alternatives for the Yankees to go that route. Sanchez has endured back-to-back disappointing seasons and lost plenty of luster since slashing .232/.316/.525 with 34 homers in 2019. The Yankees will hope he can resume that level of success, but don't be surprised if they continue to seek out upgrades behind the plate. He's a risky power-only fantasy option.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez is not in the starting lineup for Tuesday's AL Wild Card game against the Boston Red Sox. Kyle Higashioka will be catching for Gerrit Cole in the game and batting eighth in the lineup. Sanchez really struggled during the final stretch of the regular season. He was hitless in his last 13 plate appearances and batted just .159 from September 1 onward. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Sanchez could be utilized as a pinch hitter in the game. The 28-year-old veteran had a decent season overall, despite the late slump. Over 117 games, he slashed .204/.307/.423 with 23 home runs, 54 RBI and 54 runs.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez is not starting Friday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, according to MLB.com. After a miserable 2020 campaign, Sanchez has rebounded a bit but isn't the hitter he once was, slashing .207/.310/.431 with 23 HRs, 54 RBI, and 54 runs. It's the second time in three games he's started on the bench. Backup catcher Kyle Higashioka will take his spot behind the plate and bat eighth. Higashioka has no relevance in any league, with a feeble .184 average and .645 OPS. Fantasy managers looking for catching help should seek it elsewhere.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez is heading to the bench for Wednesday's game against Jose Berrios and the Toronto Blue Jays. Kyle Higashioka is getting the start behind the plate, catching for Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. Sanchez has had a very typical Gary Sanchez type of month in September. He's hit five home runs and he's driven in 11 runs, but he's batted just .190 with more strikeouts (14) than hits (11). The 28-year-old has 23 home runs, 54 RBI and 54 runs over 112 games on the year. Expect to see him back in the lineup for the series finale against the Blue Jays on Thursday.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez isn't in the lineup on Friday. The Yankees will take on the Boston Red Sox and right-hander Nathan Eovaldi but will do so with the catcher on the bench. Sanchez is batting .211 with a .313 on-base percentage and 23 home runs in 415 plate appearances this season. Instead, Kyle Higashioka will start behind the plate on Friday and hit ninth. The 31-year-old is batting .184 with a .254 on-base percentage and 10 home runs in 197 plate appearances. Fantasy managers are probably better off looking elsewhere for streaming help.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez delivered a key home run in Wednesday's victory over the Rangers. Sanchez entered the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the eighth inning and stepped up to the plate in the bottom half, launching a two-run blast to break the game open for New York. The backstop has now clubbed two homers in his last three games, perhaps starting to heat up at the right time for both the Yankees and his fantasy managers. Sanchez is a must-start at the catcher spot due to his power upside.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez is getting a breather on Wednesday as the team faces Taylor Hearn and the Texas Rangers. Kyle Higashioka is getting the start behind the plate and batting eighth in the game. Sanchez homered in Monday's game, giving him 22 home runs on the season. He's slashing just .208/.312/.433 over 108 games on the year, but it's still been a sturdy improvement on last year, when he slashed just .147/.253/.365. Sanchez has a max exit velocity of 113.4 mph, which ranks in the 90th percentile of the league. He also ranks in the 84th percentile in walk rate (11.8%). Expect to see him back in the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Boston Red Sox.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez will get a rest for Sunday's matinee against Cleveland. Backup backstop Kyle Higashioka will take his place in the starting lineup, batting ninth. Sanchez has struggled of late, slashing .186/.259/.333 with four homers over his last 30 games and 102 at-bats. He has just four hits in his last nine games, so fantasy managers should not bemoan his absence too much.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez is on the bench for Friday's game against the Cleveland Indians. Sanchez is batting .206 with a .311 on-base percentage and 21 home runs in 402 plate appearances this season. Kyle Higashioka will get the start instead against Cleveland's starter, right-hander Zach Plesac. Higashioka, who is hitting ninth on Friday, is batting .178 with a .251 on-base percentage and 10 home runs in 187 plate appearances this season. Fantasy managers in search of streaming help behind the plate are probably better off looking elsewhere.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez delivered a pinch-hit RBI single in Monday's victory over Minnesota. Sanchez has struggled in the batting average department this season, particularly in September- where he was batting .148 heading into Monday's contest. At this point, fantasy managers know what they're getting with Sanchez- low average coupled with power upside rivaled by few at the position. Sanchez and the Yankees will take on the Orioles next. The slugging backstop has 20 homers in 60 career games against Baltimore.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez isn't in Saturday's lineup. Sanchez will get the day off as the Yankees take on the New York Mets and right-handed starter Taijuan Walker. The 28-year-old is hitting .210 with a .312 on-base percentage and 21 home runs in 388 plate appearances this season. Kyle Higashioka is batting eighth and starting at catcher on Saturday. In 177 plate appearances this year, Higashioka is hitting .176 with a .254 on-base percentage and nine home runs. You're probably better off looking elsewhere for streaming help at catcher.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez slugged his 21st homer of the year in Thursday's loss to the Blue Jays. Sanchez's blast traveled 382 feet at 102.6 MPH exit velocity. The slugger's 21 homers rank fourth among all backstops, and he currently places ninth among catchers in expected slugging percentage. The 28-year-old is batting just .200 in September but has clubbed three homers with seven RBI over his last four contests, giving him as much upside as any backstop in DFS formats. Sanchez will be a fine play against Mets starter Tyler Megill, who has yielded seven homers over his last three starts.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez went 2-for-4 with six RBI in Sunday's loss to Baltimore. Sanchez supplied much of the offense for New York, clubbing a grand slam in the second inning before adding a two-run shot in the sixth. Both of his homers were no-doubters, traveling 430 and 423 feet at exit velocities of 106 MPH or greater, topping out at 113.3 MPH on the grand slam. Sanchez had been quiet in the power department, posting just one homer in August, but perhaps this monster performance can get him going at the dish.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez belted a solo homer in Tuesday's loss to the Angels. Sanchez hit a long blast in the fifth inning, traveling 416 feet at 106.9 MPH. The slugging backstop hadn't homered since July 21, a brutal stretch that likely had something to do with his positive COVID-19 test, though hopefully, the good numbers will return. Sanchez's barrel, hard-hit rate, and average exit velocity numbers have dropped below his season averages during his slump, but his plate discipline has remained relatively solid. His upside is worth laboring through these slumps to get to, though managers fighting for playoff spots or currently struggling in their matchup because of Sanchez may need to look elsewhere for production at the position.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez isn't starting on Thursday against right-hander John Gant and the Minnesota Twins. It's a day off for Sanchez, who is batting .218 with a .328 on-base percentage and 17 home runs in 332 plate appearances this season. Kyle Higashioka is getting the start behind the plate in Sanchez's place and is hitting eighth. You're probably better off looking elsewhere for streaming options both in daily fantasy play and season-long formats on Thursday. In 157 plate appearances this season, Higashioka is hitting .170 with a .248 on-base percentage and seven home runs.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez (COVID-19) was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list on Tuesday, the team announced on Twitter. Sanchez has been out for nearly two weeks after testing positive for COVID-19, and in his first game back he went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader. Over 84 games this year, Sanchez is slashing .216/.329/.450 with 17 homers, 39 RBI and 43 runs scored. Managers should make sure to slot him back into their lineups.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez is beginning a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset, the team announced. Additionally, the club returned right-handed pitcher Luis Severino from his rehab assignment to get testing Monday for his shoulder tightness, according to Lindsey Adler of The Athletic. Sanchez tested positive for COVID-19 and was replaced on the active roster with Rob Brantly earlier this month, although Kyle Higashioka has been getting the majority of starts behind the plate. Sanchez hasn't played for the Yankees since Aug. 4 but has been having a bounce-back season for the team and fantasy managers, slashing .216/.329/.450.

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez has tested positive for COVID-19, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. A rapid test confirmed he had contracted the virus, as he wasn't feeling well after the team left Florida Wednesday following their series against the Marlins or Thursday morning. Sanchez will be placed on the COVID injured list and will be sidelined for at least 10 days. The Yankees replaced Sanchez on the active roster with Rob Brantly- though Kyle Higashioka should be expected to make the majority of the starts behind the plate. Stay tuned for updates on Sanchez.