MLB Player News

Perez (eye) went 2-for-3 with two solo homers and a walk Tuesday in the Royals' 4-3 win over the Twins.

Perez homered in the fourth off starter Chris Archer and in the sixth off reliever Tyler Duffey. After going hitless in his first three games, the seven-time All-Star has four multi-hit games and two multi-homer games in his last six, slashing .348/.400/.913 in that span. He served as the designated hitter Tuesday for the second time this season while he's dealing with an eye issue that has limited his ability to catch.

Collins went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the Blue Jays' loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday.

Collins stayed hot in this one, launching a solo shot off Nathan Eovaldi in top of the second inning before adding a single in the eighth frame. With Teoscar Hernandez (oblique) on the shelf, the 27-year-old Collins has started four straight games, producing an impressive eight hits in 15 at-bats including two homers and four extra-base hits overall.

Perez shifted from catcher to designated hitter in the Royals' updated lineup for Tuesday's game against the Twins due to an eye issue, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The issue is one that Perez dealt with in both of the last two seasons. It seems on the surface quite surprising that he'd be able to hit despite vision issues, but he's been cleared by a specialist and the Royals are evidently confident that he'll be fine. It's possible the vision issue explains his slow start at the plate, as he's hit .188/.212/.406 through eight games.

Stassi will sit Tuesday against Houston, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Stassi has hit .250/.357/.542 with a pair of homers through seven games, though his 35.7 percent strikeout rate is a potential worry. He'll get a rest Tuesday as Kurt Suzuki takes over behind the plate.

Mejia is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cubs, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Mejia and Mike Zunino have alternated starts to this point this season, but Zunino will receive the nod for the second straight game Tuesday. Mejia is 6-for-20 with a home run, seven RBI and three runs this year.

Murphy went 1-for-4 with a double in a win over the Orioles on Monday.

Murphy's two-bagger was already his ninth extra-base hit of the season, particularly noteworthy considering he has just 11 hits overall. The steady stream of hard contact has helped lead to an impressive .558 slugging percentage for Murphy over his first 47 plate appearances, while his current .256 average is a 40-point improvement on his .216 figure from 2021.

Raleigh is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against Texas.

Raleigh started behind the plate on Opening Day, but it doesn't appear as though the Mariners have a true starting catcher this season. Through 11 games, he's started four times, while Tuesday's starter Tom Murphy has also started four games. Luis Torrens has picked up the remaining three starts and has an additional start as the designated hitter.

Wong will start at catcher and bat ninth in Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays.

After being called up just a couple hours prior to Monday's Patriots' Day loss to the Twins, Wong suddenly finds himself atop the depth chart at catcher. Christian Vazquez (illness) joined Kevin Plawecki (illness) on the COVID-19-related injured list Tuesday, leaving Wong in line to start at catcher for at least the next two days, according to Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald. Ronaldo Hernandez, who was recalled from Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, will likely replace Wong behind the plate in Thursday's series finale, which is a day game after a night game.

Collins will start at designated hitter and will bat fifth Tuesday against the Red Sox.

Teoscar Hernandez's (oblique) recent move to the injured list has allowed both Collins and fellow catcher Alejandro Kirk to pick up steady playing time of late. With Kirk handling catching duties for the third game in a row, Collins will pick up his third straight start as a DH and fourth consecutive start overall. Collins went 6-for-11 with a home run, two doubles and a walk over the past three contests and should be rewarded with steady at-bats while he's wielding a hot bat and while Hernandez is sidelined.

The Red Sox placed Vazquez on the COVID-19-related injured list Tuesday.

Vazquez becomes the second Red Sox catcher to land on the COVID-19 IL in the last two days after Kevin Plawecki was deactivated Monday. Connor Wong was called up from Triple-A Worcester on Monday and tentatively steps in as Boston's No. 1 catcher, with the backstop set to make his first start of the season Tuesday against the Blue Jays, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. Boston has yet to officially add another catcher to the roster to serve as Wong's understudy, but Ronaldo Hernandez suggested in a post on his Instagram account that he'll be called up from Triple-A to fortify the position group, per Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican. Abraham also notes that Vazquez is vaccinated, so he'll be eligible to join the Red Sox for next week's series in Toronto if he clears MLB's testing protocol in timely fashion.