MLB Player News

Vazquez is starting at catcher and hitting second Saturday against the Rays, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

This is his first time batting higher than sixth this season, but since the typical No. 2 hitter, Dustin Pedroia, is out of the lineup, this may be a one-time thing. For what it's worth, Vazquez is hitting .395/.425/.632 with two home runs in his lat 38 at-bats, so he's the team's hottest hitter.

Perez (side) is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Indians, MLBPressbox.com reports.

Perez will miss Saturday's game while nursing an intercostal injury that forced the catcher to remain out of the starting nine Friday as well. Though Perez may return Friday, Drew Butera will remain behind the plate in his stead Saturday.

Sanchez is out of the lineup for Saturday's contest against Baltimore.

Sanchez receives a standard day off following eight straight starts, hitting .406 with three home runs and seven RBI during that span. In his place, Austin Romine will handle the catching duties.

Jansen, who ascended from High- to Triple-A during the 2017 season, finished the campaign with a .323/.400/.484 slash line over 104 total games.

The catching prospect logged 31 games at High-A, 52 contests at Double-A and 21 affairs at Triple-A. Overall, he popped 10 home runs, notched 48 RBI and scored 50 times. Jansen's jump through the ranks was obviously impressive, but the 22-year-old's plate discipline (1.02 BB/K) was equally noteworthy. Toronto's 16th-round selection in 2013 has thrust himself into a tight race with Max Pentecost for the Jays' heir apparent to Russell Martin.

Perez (intercostal) could play Saturday if he is feeling good enough, according to Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City.

The Royals' chances of making the postseason are fading fast, so they don't have much incentive to play Perez and risk further injury. However, if Perez's latest setback is only minor, it appears the team will not hold him out, either. Essentially, it seems like whether or not Perez plays Saturday -- and likely beyond -- will lie in his hands.

Perez (intercostal) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Indians, according to Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star.

Perez aggravated his intercostal injury Thursday night, so it does not come as a surprise that he is being held out Friday in favor of Drew Butera. It's still not clear how severe Perez's latest setback is, but this is not the first time this season he has dealt with an intercostal issue, so the Royals will not rush him back into action.

Perez aggravated his intercostal injury in Thursday's game against the Indians, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

Perez recorded two hits in three at-bats Thursday, but he was not able to finish the game and was spotted with a heavy wrap on his side afterward. Perez missed a couple weeks with the same injury earlier this year, so if it is the similar event this time around, it could cost him the rest of the regular season.

Vazquez went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Thursday's 6-2 win over Oakland.

Vazquez erased a 1-0 deficit with his fifth long ball of the season in the bottom of the fifth inning. The catcher's put together a nice stretch over his past four games with seven hits and five RBI despite batting in the bottom half of Boston's order.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs in Wednesday's loss to the White Sox.

The backstop's fourth blast of September bumped his season total to a career-high 25 while inching him closer to other personal-best marks. Perez can also surpass previous career highs for runs (57) and RBI (79) by scoring five more times, and driving in seven more runs. With a couple weeks remaining, the 27-year-old is within reach of setting new bars despite the fact that Perez will likely end 2017 with his fewest games played since 2012.

Perez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's win over the Tigers.

Although officially listed as No. 2 on the depth chart, Perez continues to play his way into the lineup on a routine basis. In seven starts this month, the catcher is 8-for-26 (.308) with three home runs and nine RBI. Perez is a solid play in daily formats on days when he's in the lineup.