MLB Player News

Perez went 2-for-4 with a walk, a homer, a double, four RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's win over the Blue Jays.

Perez did all of his damage in a seven-run fifth inning, leading off with a homer before knocking a three-run double later in the frame. The big day at the plate accounted for one third of his RBI on the season. He's hitting just .157/.254/.252 with two homers over 55 games.

Maldonado went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo homer in Saturday's win over the Red Sox.

Maldonado helped chase starter Eduardo Rodriguez in the fourth inning with a solo shot that put the Astros up 4-1. The homer was his ninth of the season after he hit a career-high 14 long balls across 138 games in 2017. Maldonado should continue to see a few starts per week backing up Brian McCann.

Perez (hamstring) expects to be able to return before the end of the season, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Perez has been out since late August with a left hamstring strain. In his absence, Nick Ciuffo has claimed the Rays' starting catcher role. A clear return date for Perez has not yet been established, but according to J. Scott Butherus of MLB.com, the rookie still feels some pain when he squats in a catching position, lending further credence that he's still a few days away from activation.

Sanchez is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Mariners, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez will head to the bench after starting the previous six games since coming off the disabled list last Saturday, and going 3-for-22 with a home run in 25 plate appearances over that span. Austin Romine will start behind the plate and bat eighth for the Yankees.

Narvaez is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Angels.

Narvaez heads to the bench Saturday and has started only one of the last four games. Kevan Smith will start behind the plate and Welington Castillo will be the designated hitter, as the White Sox continue to heavily rotate their catchers since Castillo returned from the disabled list last weekend.

McCann is on the bench Saturday against the Cardinals, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

The Tigers have followed a pattern of one Grayson Greiner start followed by two McCann starts for the past 12 games. The pattern continues Saturday, with Greiner getting his turn behind the plate.

Gomes is not in the starting lineup against Toronto on Saturday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Gomes will take a seat after starting the last three games, including a three-hit performance Friday. Roberto Perez will give him a spell behind the plate.

Perez went 1-for-5 with a three-run homer in Friday's loss to the Twins.

Perez (thumb) returned to action for the first time since Aug. 28 and cranked his 24th home run in the third inning to give the Royals a four-run lead. The backstop is slashing an underwhelming .235/.273/.442 on the year, but he does rank in the top three in home runs (24) and RBI (68) among MLB catchers. As long as he's healthy, Perez should see regular playing time for the remainder of the season.

Gomes went 3-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays.

Gomes handed his team a one-run lead in the sixth inning, but the Blue Jays would rally in the seventh to tie the game and send it to extra innings. The 31-year-old backstop has posted a .260/.307/.430 batting line with a .738 OPS through 100 games this season.

Perez (thumb) will catch Heath Fillmyer and bat sixth against the Twins on Friday, Rustin Dodd of The Athletic reports.

Perez will return to action after missing the past seven games due to a thumb injury. Though the Royals have been out of postseason contention for quite some time, Perez has remained a fixture in the starting lineup, so expect to see him playing on a regular basis for the rest of the 2018 campaign.