MLB Player News

Gomes is not in Saturday's lineup against the Rays, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Gomes has started three of the last four games, so he'll get a routine day off Saturday. The 30-year-old backstop has found a bit of a power surge since the All-Star break, hitting .228 with two home runs and 12 RBI. Roberto Perez takes over behind the plate in his absence.

Ohlman was recalled by the Blue Jays on Saturday.

Ohlman becomes the beneficiary of an injury-depleted Blue Jays catching corps, as Russell Martin (oblique) joined Miguel Montero (groin) and Luke Maile (knee) on the 10-day disabled list Saturday. The rookie backstop made his major-league debut for Toronto earlier this season, going 2-for-9 over five games before being sent back to Triple-A. Ohlman's .222 batting average in the minors leaves much to be desired, however, and he'll be splitting starts with Raffy Lopez until Montero is able to return.

Ohlman will be recalled Saturday if an MRI reveals Russell Martin (oblique) needs to be placed on the disabled list, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

By all indications, Ohlman will likely be needed for Saturday's game against the Pirates. However, he can travel light considering Miguel Montero (groin) is eligible to come off the DL as early as Sunday. Even if the latter isn't ready this weekend, Montero will certainly usurp Ohlman by the middle of next week.

Perez (intercostal) played catch on the field Thursday for the first time since landing on the DL, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

Perez continues to steadily work his way back from an intercostal strain, and Thursday marked another important step in his recovery. He'll continue to ramp up his baseball activities in the coming weeks as he keeps his eyes set on a return to action sometime during the second half of August. While he remains on the shelf, Drew Butera will continue to serve as the Royals' primary backstop.

Gosewisch cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday, Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Gosewisch slashed .071/.102/.071 through 11 games with the Mariners this season, and he owns a career .190 batting average across parts of four seasons, so the Mariners were able to pass him through waivers untouched. He'll continue to serve as organizational catching depth at Tacoma.

Perez went 1-for-2 with a pair of sacrifice bunts and one strikeout in Wednesday's extra-innings loss to Colorado.

Wednesday's effort isn't worth much in fantasy terms, but Perez had three successful at-bats on the day -- a noteworthy accomplishment considering his struggles this season. With Yan Gomes hitting a small slump, Perez has received a start in three of the Tribe's last five games. That said, his .179 average is in no way a danger to Gomes' starting gig.

Manager Ned Yost said Perez (intercostal) is expected to be sidelined for 2-to-3 weeks after being reexamined Tuesday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

This is welcomed news for the Royals' backstop, as Tuesday's evaluations showed his swelling has subsided, shaving a week off his estimated time on the shelf. A clearer return date should become available once he resumes baseball activities, but he's expected back sometime during the second half of August. In the meantime, Drew Butera will continue to see the bulk of starts behind the dish while Perez is sidelined.

McCann is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Pirates.

McCann will receive a routine rest day after he handled catching duties for the first two games of the series. Backup John Hicks will enter the lineup, working in a battery with starting pitcher Justin Verlander.

Vazquez is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rays, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

After starting seven consecutive games behind the plate while Sandy Leon was nursing a knee injury, Vazquez will surprisingly find himself on the bench for a third straight contest. Manager John Farrell may have just wanted to give Vazquez an extended break in light of the young backstop's heavy workload last week, so it shouldn't be taken as a sign that Leon has emerged as the team's preferred catching option. Both Leon and Vazquez will continue to stick in a timeshare behind the plate, and it remains difficult which of the two will see the brunt of the starts from week to week.

Leon will start at catcher and bat eighth Wednesday against the Rays, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Evidently, the knee injury that sidelined Leon for seven consecutive games is no longer an issue, as he'll draw his third straight start Wednesday. Manager John Farrell has been inconsistent with the manner in which he's doled out playing time behind the plate all season, so Leon's run of starts shouldn't be viewed as an indication that he's overtaken Christian Vazquez as the primary catcher.