MLB Player News

Mejia has dedicated himself to improving defensively at Double-A Akron, SB Nation's Brian Hemminger reports.

Mejia is hitting .356/.404/.511 through 12 games with the Rubber Ducks this season, but his ability with the bat has never been in question. The catcher understands that, and he's taking the necessary steps to ascend through the ranks. So far this year, Mejia has gunned down five of six attempted base stealers while also picking off four runners at first base. Akron manager Mark Budzinski said the organization's No. 1 prospect continues to develop his pitch framing, game calling and even his attitude. Although the 21-year-old still has some climbing to do, Mejia appears to be making positive strides that could lead to his MLB debut coming sooner rather than later.

Gomes' defensive prowess behind the plate has impressed manager Terry Francona, who had high praise for the veteran before Sunday's game, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Gomes' exchange times (length between catch and throw) against attempted base stealers have been elite early in the 2017 campaign. Francona called one of Gomes' recent gun-downs "Santiago-esque," a reference to former MLB standout Benito Santiago. The backstop's eye-popping defense should buy him plenty of time to overcome a slow start at the plate. Gomes is slashing a paltry .171/261/.268 through 47 plate appearances.

Thaiss went 4-for-5 with his third homer of the season Sunday for High-A Inland Empire.

After a big spring training, Thaiss has started the minor-league season slowly, as his four-hit game finally brought his batting average over .200. He's now hitting .212/.333/.364 with 11 walks and 13 strikeouts in 78 plate appearances. His squad is full of slumping players right now, so Thaiss is getting pitched around frequently. The Angels' first-round pick in 2016, Thaiss is walking more and striking out more than he did last year.

Perez went 0-for-2 and drew his first walk of 2017 in Sunday's loss to the White Sox.

The early-season woes continued for the backup catcher Sunday, as he's now just 3-for-23 on the year. Tribe manager Terry Francona is committed to Yan Gomes as the team's routine backstop even though he didn't open the season in top form. Perez simply isn't receiving enough volume, and with no change coming in the foreseeable future, he's practically irrelevant outside of a punt play in daily formats.

Stubbs (hamstring) was activated Sunday from the 7-day disabled list at Double-A Corpus Christi, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 23-year-old appeared in only four games for Corpus Christi before succumbing to the hamstring injury, which kept him sidelined for two weeks. It shouldn't be a major setback in the development of Stubbs, who remains the Astros' top catching prospect.

Nicholas (knee) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Round Rock on Monday, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Nicholas has seemingly recovered from the knee surgery he required in early March, but after being sidelined for much of spring training, he may need multiple weeks worth of games to get his conditioning in order. Once he's activated from the disabled list, Nicholas will likely remain with Round Rock, as Jonathan Lucroy and Robinson Chirinos are the clear top two catchers in the organization.

Perez (neck) remains out of the lineup Sunday against the Rangers, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

Perez is still battling some neck stiffness that resulted in him being scratched ahead of Saturday's game, so manager Ned Yost will give the backstop a second consecutive day off with the hope that it helps remedy the issue. According to Dodd, Yost noted that Perez was showing improvement Sunday, so it doesn't seem as though the Royals are concerned that Perez will require a trip to the disabled list.

Gomes is out of the lineup Sunday against the White Sox.

Gomes will likely have to wait until Tuesday's series opener against the Astros to try and extend his hitting streak to five games, as Roberto Perez will be behind the plate for Sunday's matinee. With Gomes beginning to wake up from his early-season slumber, it's beginning to look as though he's no longer at much risk of falling into a timeshare at catcher with Perez and may only sit out a couple times per week.

McCann is out of the lineup Sunday against the Twins, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Though he was behind the plate for the first two games of the series, McCann remains stuck in a timeshare at catcher with Alex Avila, who receives the nod Sunday. McCann has warmed up lately with a homer and four walks over the last four games, so he at least seems to have the upper hand in the competition between the two backstops.

Leon is out of the lineup Sunday against the Orioles, Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

After recording five hits in 10 at-bats in the Red Sox's first two games of the season, Leon has experienced a major slump at the dish, going 4-for-36 (.111 average). Leon's ongoing struggles may have paved the way for Christian Vazquez to turn the catching situation into a timeshare, as Vazquez will now pick up his third start in the last six games.