MLB Player News

Perez went 2-for-5 with a home run and five RBI in Friday's win over the Twins.

Perez connected on a game-winning grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning to give his team the 8-4 victory, as the Royals offense exploded for five runs in the final frame. The veteran catcher now has homers in back-to-back games, and he has hit a total of 26 home runs on the season to go along with 75 RBI.

Narvaez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 8-6 win over Baltimore.

Narvaez launched a two-run blast over the fence in center field to hand the White Sox a four-run lead in the third inning. The 26-year-old has put up decent numbers through 87 games this season, sporting a .272/.361/.420 slash line with 22 extra-base hits and 27 RBI.

Garver is not starting Friday against the Royals, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Garver left Wednesday's game against the Yankees after taking a foul ball off his mask. He avoided a concussion but remains out of the lineup, with Willians Astudillo getting the call behind the plate.

Jansen is on the bench Friday against the Yankees.

Jansen has had the edge in playing time behind the plate in September, but he hardly has a monopoly on the position. He's made six starts there this month, with Luke Maile starting four times and Reese McGuire receiving three starts. Maile will take his turn Friday.

Leon is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Mets, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Leon will sit for the second straight game as he is 0-for-25 with one walk in his last 12 games. Blake Swihart will start behind the plate and bat ninth as the Red Sox continue to utilize a heavy rotation at catcher, with Christian Vazquez now back in the mix as well.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run Thursday against the Twins.

Perez took Alan Busenitz deep in the sixth inning to record his 25th home run of the season. He's now hit four home runs in his past 10 games and is on pace to surpass his 27 long balls from the 2017 season. While his batting average (.235) and on-base percentage (.274) are poor, Perez has produced strong counting stats relative to others eligible at catcher.

Garver (head) is not in the lineup against the Royals on Thursday, LaVelle E. Neal of the Star Tribune reports.

Garver will receive a day off after leaving Wednesday's game following a shot to his catching mask in the second inning. Though he appears to have sidestepped any sort of concussion-related symptoms, manager Paul Molitor will refrain from thrusting him back into the lineup Thursday night. In his absence, Chris Gimenez will handle the catching duties and bat ninth.

Jansen is not in the lineup Thursday against the Red Sox.

Jansen will find a seat on the bench following a pair of consecutive starts in which he went 1-for-5 with a walk. Reese McGuire will start behind the dish and hit ninth in his place.

Leon is not in the lineup Thursday against the Blue Jays, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Leon will take a seat after starting three consecutive games behind the dish, going hitless across eight at-bats during those appearances. Christian Vazquez will start at catcher in his place Thursday.

Perez (hamstring) is making deliberate progress from his injury and manager Kevin Cash concedes he may not return before the end of the regular season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The rookie backstop hit the disabled list Aug. 31, and there was relative certainty as recently as last weekend about a return before the end of the season. The latest news implies differently, although Perez still has over two weeks to regain full health. Jesus Sucre, Nick Ciuffo and Adam Moore are all candidates to handle catching duties while Perez remains sidelined.