MLB Player News

Fermin (finger) was transferred to the 60-day injured list from the 10-day IL on Monday.

The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for fellow catcher Tyler Cropley, whose contract was selected from Omaha. Fermin had already been ruled out for the season following surgery last week to repair a fractured left middle finger.

Perez was placed on the 7-day injured list Monday with a concussion.

The Royals said initially that Perez avoided a concussion when he was removed from Saturday's game versus the Astros following a foul tip to the mask. However, some symptoms must have cropped up since then, forcing Perez to the IL. Perez will be eligible for activation Sunday, but as is the case with all players recovering from concussions, it's difficult to project when he might be ready. With Freddy Fermin (finger) out for the season, the Royals are left with Logan Porter and Tyler Cropley as their available catchers.

Rutschman went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, two RBI and an additional run scored in Sunday's 5-4 victory over the Rays.

Rustchman cut Baltimore's deficit to 3-2 in the eighth inning with his 19th homer of the year, a solo shot off Pete Fairbanks. He added a second RBI with a base hit in the 10th before scoring the winning run in the 11th. It's Rustchman's first multi-hit game since Sept. 8 -- he'd been slumping a bit of late, going 4-for-29 (.138) over his previous eight games. Overall, the 25-year-old catcher is batting .270 with a .789 OPS, 79 runs scored and 73 RBI through 639 plate appearances this season.

Rogers went 2-for-3 with two home runs, a walk and four RBI in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Angels.

Rogers was the engine for the Tigers' offense in this game, hitting a solo shot in the second inning and a three-run blast a frame later. The catcher has hit safely in his last five games, going 9-for-19 (.474) with three homers and five RBI in that span. While it's a short stretch of success, it's some of his best work this season -- he's slashing .220/.289/.444 with 19 homers, 44 RBI, 45 runs scored and one stolen base through 99 contests overall.

Diaz is not in the lineup Sunday against the Royals.

Diaz boasts an .847 OPS with 22 home runs and 57 RBI in 97 games this season for Houston, but he's been riding the pine on a fairly regular basis since Michael Brantley (shoulder) joined the active roster. Brantley is playing left field Sunday as Yordan Alvarez fills the designated-hitter role and Martin Maldonado handles catching duties.

Perez (head) is not in the lineup Sunday against the Astros.

Perez was lifted from Saturday's game versus Houston after taking a foul ball to the face in the fifth inning, but he has been cleared of a concussion and is considered day-to-day. Logan Porter will do the catching for the Royals on Sunday afternoon.

Pinto is absent from the lineup Sunday at Baltimore.

Pinto started behind the plate Friday and Saturday and went a combined 1-for-7 with a strikeout and a run scored. Christian Bethancourt will handle the catching for the Rays in Sunday's series finale.

Heim is not in the lineup for Sunday's game at Cleveland.

Austin Hedges will start at catcher and bat ninth as Mitch Garver serves as the Rangers' designated hitter and cleanup man. Heim has slashed just .191/.223/.326 in 94 plate appearances since he returned Aug. 13 from a two-week absence to heal a strained tendon in his left wrist.

Naylor is not in the lineup Sunday against the Rangers.

Cam Gallagher will do the catching and bat ninth after Naylor logged three straight starts behind the plate. He went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in the Guardians' defeat of Texas on Saturday.

Kirk is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

Tyler Heineman will catch and bat ninth as Kirk grabs some rest after making four straight starts behind the plate. He went 1-for-4 with a walk in the Blue Jays' win over Boston on Saturday.