MLB Player News

Perez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Rangers.

Tribe manager Terry Francona is likely just extending Perez a breather after he was behind the plate for the last four games, highlighted by a 4-for-5, three-RBI showing at the dish in Friday's series opener. Chris Gimenez will make the start Sunday, but Perez will continue serving as the Indians' top catcher until Yan Gomes (shoulder) returns from the DL, likely in early September.

McCann will be in the lineup Sunday against the Angels. He will bat eighth.

Tyler Skaggs is on the mound for the Halos and McCann is better against lefties. His slash line against southpaws is .253/.321/.547. He's worth the roll of the proverbial dice in daily formats.

Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a home run and two walks in Saturday's win over the Orioles.

The rookie's opposite-field homer bounced off the top of the outfield wall and into the stands to give him an even .400 average. The 23-year-old also flashed some defense by throwing out a runner trying to steal second base. To emphasize both his outstanding performance in August, as well as the lack of available production at his position, Sanchez already ranks near the top-15 at catcher in standard mixed leagues despite having played only one month this year.

Sanchez went 3-for-5 with a two-RBI double, two-run homer and three runs in Friday's 14-4 victory over the Orioles.

The rookie backstop's season line is now a jaw-dropping .403/.459/.883 following Friday's production. He got things off on the right foot with a two-RBI double in the second that plated Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury and then drove in the latter a second time with a 385-foot shot to left in the fifth that extended the Yankees' lead to 12-1. The 23-year-old now has multi-hit efforts in three of his last four games, with four homers and eight RBI over that span.

Perez is out of the lineup Friday against the Red Sox, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Drew Butera will start behind the dish and bat eighth as Perez heads to the bench. Perez has had a rough time hitting recently and owns a .174/.208/.304 line over the last 14 days, bringing his batting average down to .254 for the season.

McCann went 4-for-5 with a three-run homer in Thursday's win over the Twins.

McCann's third-inning blast, his 11th of the season, extended his hitting streak to four games, one shy of his season high. The catcher had tallied just five home runs and 23 RBI in 173 first-half at bats, but now has six longballs and 19 RBI in 82 at-bats since the All-Star break. McCann's .256 second-half batting average is also a strong improvement over the .208 he posted prior to the Midsummer Classic.

Leon is not in the lineup Thursday against the Rays, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

After starting the last four games behind the plate, Leon will give way to Bryan Holaday on Thursday. Holaday will bat ninth in the order against Jake Odorizzi.

Sanchez went 2-for-3 with two walks and a solo shot in Wednesday's win over the Mariners.

The rookie continued his ridiculous August by smacking his ninth homer and notching his 16th RBI of the month. Now the Bombers everyday catcher, Sanchez is hitting a scorching .389 through 72 at-bats over 19 games. Producing at this pace long-term is obviously unsustainable, but there's nothing wrong with riding the catcher while he's hot.

McCann is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Twins, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

McCann is riding a very modest three-game hitting streak, but he's still hitting just .212 on the season and will continue receiving fairly regular days off. Jarrod Saltalamacchia will take over behind the plate Wednesday and bat eighth.

Thole went 0-for-3 with an RBI, his seventh of the season, in Tuesday's win over the Angels.

Making his routine spot start behind the plate with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey on the hill, Thole's third straight hitless effort lowered his batting average to a measly .151 on the season. The left-hand hitting catcher's splits have been equally as disappointing, as Thole's hitting .156 in 32 at-bats against southpaws, and .149 in 74 at-bats versus righties.