MLB Player News

Perez (illness) was a late scratch for Thursday's game against the Rangers, FSKC's Joel Goldberg reports.

Perez was taken out of the lineup with an illness as Drew Butera takes over behind the plate. Butera will now bat eighth in the order, with Paulo Orlando sliding up to the fifth spot. Perez will likely be back in the lineup Friday, but will be considered day-to-day for now.

Leon is expected to start the next couple of games as Ryan Hanigan still needs time to recover from flu-like symptoms, Julian Benbow of the Boston Globe reports.

Hanigan has missed the last two games and now will travel out west with the team to begin an 11-game road trip in Anaheim on Thursday. Leon will start until Hanigan, who is available in an emergency, is ready to play a full game.

Perez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals, according to Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Perez started the last three games behind the plate, but he will be held out Wednesday with the Indians playing a day game following a night game. Chris Gimenez will serve as the Indians' catcher in Perez's place.

Perez went 4-for-5 with a double, a solo homer and three runs Tuesday at the Royals.

Perez launched his fifth homer of 2016 in the sixth inning to give the Angels a 4-0 lead in a road victory. He now has a modest three-game hitting streak, and he slashing .221/.249/.357 on the year.

Leon will start behind the plate Tuesday against the Tigers after Ryan Hanigan was scratched due to illness, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.

Leon will bat eighth while catching knuckleballer Steven Wright during Tuesday's contest. Wright has normally been caught by Hanigan throughout the season, but Leon will slide back into the lineup after going 2-for-4 with an RBI on Monday.

McCann is not in the Tigers lineup Tuesday.

This is a normal day off for the catcher, who has been struggling over his last 16 games, slashing .176/.236/.196 in that span. Jarrod Saltalamacchia will replace him behind the dish despite having his own struggles at bat this year.

Leon is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Tigers.

The Red Sox will deploy Ryan Hanigan behind the dish Tuesday to catch knuckleballer Steven Wright. With that, Leon will get the night off Tuesday, marking his second absence from the lineup in the last three days. He figures to rejoin the lineup Wednesday to catch for lefty Eduardo Rodriguez.

Perez hit a two-run home run in a 1-for-4 game in a loss Monday against the Angels.

Perez was just 3-for-24 with eight strikeouts and no extra-base hits over his last seven games, so he badly needed something to get him out of that slump. Sunday marked his first day off since the All-Star break, and the rest might have been exactly what he needed.

Leon went 2-for-4 with an RBI on Monday against the Tigers.

The veteran backstop is now hitting an even .400 for the season through 80 at-bats. Leon's 10 RBI this month are two more than he had in his entire MLB career prior to 2016. The Red Sox may still be in the market for a catcher before the trade deadline, but for now, Leon will remain in the lineup more often than not.

McCann will start at catcher Sunday against the White Sox and bat eighth in the lineup.

Though McCann is behind the plate for Sunday's game, he had sat out the previous three contests in favor of Jarrod Saltalamacchia. McCann has followed up a promising rookie year with a dud of season in 2016, slashing just .197/.245/.303 across 205 plate appearances. Until he turns a corner offensively, he may have to settle for a timeshare at catcher with Saltalamacchia.