MLB Player News

Yankees catcher Chris Stewart was a little underwhelming in his first weekend as New York's starting catcher. Stewart, who was given Monday off with Austin Romine making his first start, went just 1 for 7 in two games. 

Stewart struck out twice and singled for his only hit against Toronto pitching. He was 1 for 9 with two walks and three Ks in the series overall. Stewart is batting .267 for the year with a homer and one RBI. 

The Indians recalled catcher Yan Gomes from Triple-A Columbus Sunday after placing catcher Lou Marson on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right shoulder. Gomes hit .211 (4 for 19) in six games for Cleveland before his demotion Wednesday.

Royals catcher Salvador Perez finally got on the board Saturday against the Indians after not hitting a home run in his first 19 games. He launched a two-run bomb off starter Scott Kazmir in the second inning and finished 1 for 4 in the 3-2 win.

Perez is batting .273 with eight RBI.

Yankees backup catcher Chris Stewart has been a pleasant surprise in a limited role, but he will likely be asked to carry a much heavier burden for at least the next month. Starter Francisco Cervelli went down Friday with a fractured right hand, an injury that will cost him at least six weeks after surgery.

The Yankees will likely make a move to fill in the backup spot, but Stewart should get the first crack at the starting role, thanks to his .333 batting average so far. Despite entering a larger role, Stewart is unlikely to make much of an impact for Fantasy owners. He is a career .223 hitter, with five home runs in 372 at-bats. He is playing for his glove, not his bat, and most Fantasy leagues don't reward for caught stealing and pitches successfully blocked in the dirt.

Everyday at-bats will likely expose Stewart as incapable of handling a large share of the catching duties, and it would not be a surprise if he is eventually backing up former top prospect Austin Romine before long. Beyond deep, two-catcher, AL-only Fantasy formats, Stewart is likely not worth your time. 

Royals catcher Salvador Perez has yet to hit a home run this season in 19 games played. He's hitting .274/.280/.356 in 75 plate appearances.

Perez homered in his first game of 2012 en route to hitting 11 home runs in 305 plate appearances, and he had multiple home runs in June, July, August and September of last season. He'll attempt to notch his first homer of 2013 in this weekend's series against the Indians.

The Indians optioned catcher Yan Gomes to Triple-A Columbus Wednesday after activating catcher Lou Marson (neck) off the disabled list. Gomes hit .211 (4 for 19) with one triple, two home runs and three RBI in six games.

Yan Gomes received the start behind the plate for the Indians in Sunday's series finale against the Astros and had a productive day at the plate. He went 2 for 4 with a home run in the 5-4 win.

Gomes launched a solo shot off starter Erik Bedard in his first at-bat before leading off the fourth inning with a triple.

The 25-year-old is batting .211 with two homers and three RBI through 19 at-bats.

Yankees catcher Chris Stewart had a fine game Sunday despite New York taking a loss at Toronto. Stewart homered and threw out a base runner trying to steal second. 

Batting ninth, Stewart went 2 for 3 and homered in the third inning for a solo shot, his first of the year. He added a single and scored twice in the game. 

Stewart has played in six games thus far and has gone 6 for 17 (.353) with an RBI and a stolen base. 

Royals catcher Salvador Perez's season has not gone as well as we hoped so far, and our Scott White does not think things will get much better in Week 4 (April 22-28).

Perez is batting .258 through his first 15 games, and the 22-year-old is waiting on his first home run after hitting 11 in 76 games a year ago. He has struck out 12 times and walked once in 62 at-bats and has a tough schedule ahead of him in Week 4. Perez will face the Tigers and Indians, who are scheduled to throw six right-handed pitchers in a row at him. Perez's career OPS is .716 against righties, so this is not the week to expect him to turn it around.

We still like Perez's potential after how well he played in 2011 and 2012, but he is a shaky start right now. 

After exceeding a .300 batting average in each of his first two seasons with the Royals, Salvador Perez has slumped his way to a .259 average in his first 13 games this year.

Perez is one of the majors' best contact hitters, but he's already struck out 10 times this year, as compared to 27 times in 289 at-bats last season.

Perez is a good bet to start making contact at a higher rate again, and he even has a little home run power to boot. He's sitting on the bench in 18 percent of the leagues on CBSSports.com, but at least in Rotisserie leagues, Perez needs to be trusted with an active roster spot for now.