MLB Player News

Kirk is expected to move to the bench for Tuesday's game against the Yankees and will likely lose out on starts to Danny Jansen (wrist), who was reinstated from the injured list Monday, ESPN.com reports.

Between wins over the Rockies on Sunday and Yankees on Monday, Kirk reached base seven times, but he's still put together an underwhelming .200/.293/.220 slash line through 58 plate appearances while operating as the Blue Jays' primary backstop so far this season. Though Jansen remained on the bench Monday, he's on track to make his season debut Tuesday and looks poised to handle the larger portion of a timeshare behind the plate with Kirk. Jansen is the more polished defender of the two, and though Kirk has an All-Star appearance and Silver Slugger on his resume, he's been a slightly below league-average hitter since the start of the 2023 season (91 wRC+, .301 wOBA over 480 plate appearances).

Jansen (wrist) is expected to join the Toronto lineup and make his season debut in Tuesday's game against the Yankees, ESPN.com reports.

After missing the first two and a half weeks of the season while recovering from a fractured right wrist suffered in a March 13 spring training game, Jansen was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Monday. He didn't play in Monday's series-opening 3-1 victory, however, as Alejandro Kirk drew the nod behind the plate and went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Though Kirk has now reached base seven times over the Blue Jays' last two games, he's still slashing an ugly .200/.293/.220 through 58 plate appearances. Given that he's regarded as the superior defender of the two catchers and in light of Kirk's struggles at the dish, Jansen is expected to emerge as the Blue Jays' No. 1 backstop now that he's healthy.

Heim is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's contest in Detroit.

He will sit out the afternoon tilt while Andrew Knizner does the catching for Jon Gray. Heim is sporting a .719 OPS with two home runs and 11 RBI in his first 15 games this season.

Heim went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 1-0 win over the Tigers.

Heim doubled and scored the game's only run in the fifth inning and has hit safely in four consecutive games. The steal, which is not a big part of his game, was his first of the season. Heim has a career seven stolen bases over 368 MLB games.

Perez said Monday that an MRI revealed a Grade 1 groin strain, and he hopes to play Tuesday against the White Sox, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Perez will sit out after being pulled from Sunday's game. He noted that he's experiencing no pain in the area, and he attempted to lobby Royals manager Matt Quatraro to play Monday. Perez has started the season strong, slashing .339/.369/.565 with four home runs and 15 RBI over 65 plate appearances.

Stassi (hip) was transferred to the 60-day injured list by the White Sox on Monday.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for Nick Nastrini. Stassi recently had a setback in his recovery from a hip injury when he was hit in the hand by a backswing while on a rehab assignment. He now won't be eligible to return until late May.

Perez (groin/hip) is not in the lineup for Monday's contest versus the White Sox, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Perez departed Sunday's game against the Mets with left groin and hip injuries. Catcher Logan Porter has joined the Royals in Chicago as part of the taxi squad, per Rogers, in case Perez's injury winds up being more of a day-to-day situation. The Royals are expected to provide more clarity on Perez later Monday. Freddy Fermin is getting the start at catcher against the White Sox.

Trevino went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Sunday in an extra-inning loss to Cleveland.

Trevino crushed a 406-foot solo shot to center field in the fourth inning to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead. It was both his first long ball and his first extra-base hit of any kind on the campaign. Trevino and Austin Wells have been splitting time behind the plate pretty evenly early in the season, as the former has 29 plate appearances and the latter 34. Neither backstop has hit well, but Trevino has a slightly better slash line at .200/.310/.320 to Wells' .115/.265/.115.

Serven was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo by the Blue Jays on Monday, Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star reports.

Serven was the Jays' backup catcher while Danny Jansen (wrist) was on the shelf, but he's no longer needed with Jansen back in the fold. He's hitless in 10 plate appearances this season.

The Blue Jays activated Jansen (wrist) from the 10-day injured list Monday, Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star reports.

Jansen wound up missing the first two and a half weeks of the season after suffering a small fracture in his right wrist. He went 4-for-13 with a home run during his rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo and seems likely to ascend to the top of the Blue Jays' catching depth chart given Alejandro Kirk's early struggles (.170/.259/.170 slash line).