MLB Player News

Perez (thumb) will start his rehab assignment at the Arizona Rookie League on Sunday.

Perez's fractured thumb has kept him on the shelf for two months, but he'll finally get back into game action Sunday at rookie ball. He'll likely need several games to get re-acclimated to catching a full nine innings, so the Indians may not need to make a decision on him until after the All-Star break. Cleveland's current catching combination of Yan Gomes and Chris Gimenez could be a roadblock to Perez's return to the big league club as well unless they opt to carry three catchers.

Perez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Phillies, Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City reports.

Perez's day off might be for mental reasons just as much as physical, as the backstop has gone just 1-for-17 with seven strikeouts while starting each of the last four games behind the plate. With some extra time to recuperate and assess his approach at the plate, perhaps Perez will be able to close out the first half of the season on a high note.

Vazquez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Angels, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

It's a routine off day for Vazquez, who started the Red Sox's previous four games. He recorded four base hits during those contests, but is still sitting on a sickly .226/.278/.305 slash line for the season. Sandy Leon will fill in for Vazquez at catcher.

Perez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Red Sox.

Perez had his top performance of a disappointing season in Saturday's 21-2 romp over the Red Sox, going 5-for-6 with a homer, two doubles, two runs and a whopping six RBI. While that kind of showing could help Perez cut into Jett Bandy's playing time behind the plate, Perez will pick up some rest Sunday after starting the preceding two games of the series.

Gonzalez was acquired by the White Sox on Saturday.

Gonzalez was designated for assignment by the Astros last Saturday and will be going to Double-A Birmingham after the Astros traded him for cash considerations. In order to make room for Gonzalez on the 40-man roster, Daniel Webb was transferred to the 60-day disabled list in a corresponding move.

Gomes is not in the lineup for Saturday's contest against the Blue Jays, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Gomes started Friday's 19-inning marathon against Toronto, going 0-for-5 with a walk, and will get a day off Saturday. In his place, Cleveland will start Chris Gimenez behind the plate.

Leon, who has hit .467 (14-for-30) since being called up to Boston, could force the Red Sox to demote Christian Vazquez to Triple-A when Ryan Hanigan (neck) is ready to return from the disabled list, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Leon has become an important piece for the Red Sox, having appeared in 12 of Boston's last 20 games -- his hot bat even making him a pinch-hitting option late in games. He's certainly out-hit Vazquez, who is batting .215 with a .559 OPS for the season. Coming off Tommy John elbow surgery Vazquez hasn't played up to his potential, so there's some benefit to letting him work his way back in a lower stress environment. He also has minor league options left while Leon doesn't. When Hanigan is ready to return, don't be surprised if Leon remains in Boston.

Gomes is not in Thursday's lineup against Toronto, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Gomes has started four of the last five Indians' games and so will get the night off as Chris Gimenez makes a start behind the dish. Gomes, who's average dipped below .200 on May 1, has not found his stride since then, going 26-for-147 (.177) since then.

Perez (thumb) could head out on a rehab assignment over the weekend, MLB.com reports.

Perez has been sidelined since May 1 with a fractured thumb and saw limited action as the team's backup before the injury. Starter Yan Gomes is still struggling at the plate, which could yield a slight uptick in Perez's workload but he'll need to unseat Chris Gimenez, whose work with Trevor Bauer has the righty on a strong stretch of games (11 starts, 2.80 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 74 innings), first.

Thole went 2-for-4 with a walk Wednesday against the Rockies.

Thole made the most of his unusual spot-start for Russell Martin (rest). Typically, Thole only catches knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, but recently manager John Gibbons has decided to give the 33-year-old Martin rest more routinely. Entering Wednesday's game, Thole had amassed just two hits since April 26. Even if given the opportunity to play more often, Thole holds little to no value in most leagues.