MLB Player News

Vazquez left Friday's game against the Rangers after taking a foul ball off the top of his left knee.

The event happened during a plate appearance in the eighth inning, but Vazquez remained in the game to finish out the 11-pitch at-bat. He was replaced behind the plate in the ninth inning by Kevin Plawecki.

Maldonado went 2-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks and a run scored in Friday's 12-3 win over the Mariners.

Maldonado had one of his best games this season after reaching base four times and sending one over the wall for the first time since July 31. The 35-year-old backstop has not been able to get it going overall this year. He's slashing just .183/.284/.319 with nine homers, 29 RBI, 32 runs scored and 36:96 BB:K over 320 plate appearances. His inconsistency at the plate has led to him losing occasional starts to Jason Castro.

Gallagher went 1-for-1 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-2 win over the Cubs.

Gallagher entered Friday's game as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the eighth inning after Salvador Perez (neck) suffered an injury. The 28-year-old gave the Royals some insurance during his lone at-bat in the top of the ninth inning by hitting his first homer of 2021. Gallagher has had sporadic playing time but is in line for increased at-bats if Perez misses any additional games.

Murphy is not starting Friday against the Giants, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Murphy has yielded catching duties against left-handers to Yan Gomes since Gomes was acquired at the trade deadline, and that will remain the case Friday against Alex Wood.

Stassi will be on the bench for Friday's game in Cleveland.

Stassi hits the bench after making a pair of starts. He's been in a bit of a slump over his last nine games, going 4-for-32 with 17 strikeouts. Kurt Suzuki takes over behind the plate in his absence.

Perez exited Friday's win over the Cubs due to posterior neck soreness, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports Kansas City reports.

Perez was productive early in Friday's matchup, as he went 2-for-3 with a pair of solo home runs. However, he was replaced by a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. The catcher was apparently evaluated for a concussion after the game but was ultimately diagnosed with a neck injury. The 31-year-old should be considered day-to-day, but Cam Gallagher would likely take over behind the dish if Perez is forced to miss additional time.

Hedges is not in the lineup Friday against the Angels.

Hedges leads Cleveland's catchers with 61 starts this season and should continue to see regular time with Roberto Perez (shoulder) sidelined, but he doesn't provide any fantasy value with a .485 OPS. Wilson Ramos will work behind the plate Friday in the series opener.

McGuire is not starting Friday against the TIgers.

McGuire will take a seat to begin the series in Toronto after starting three of the previous four games behind the plate. Alejandro Kirk will catch Robbie Ray and bat sixth.

Stubbs suffered a right ankle sprain during Thursday's game with Triple-A Sugar Land, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

It remains to be seen if the ankle injury will end up sending Stubbs to the injured list, but he seems likely to miss at least a game or two. He's spent the bulk of the season at Triple-A, but he has logged eight games with the Astros, recording four hits across 22 at-bats.

Stassi went 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI during Thursday's win over the Tigers.

With the Angels trailing in the eighth, Stassi cranked a go-ahead two-run homer against Michael Fulmer. The long ball was the 11th of the season for the backstop, who was riding a 2-for-30 drought prior to Thursday's contest.