MLB Player News

Higashioka is not in the lineup Friday against the Nationals.

Higashioka will take a seat for the second time in the past three games while mired in a 1-for-16 slump. Gary Sanchez will start behind the plate and bat sixth Friday for New York.

Perez had three pins inserted into his right ring finger Friday and will be sidelined 8-to-10 weeks, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

The 32-year-old was originally expected to try and play through the injury, but he instead underwent surgery to address the fracture Friday. Perez is now slated to be out until the second half of the season with the All-Star break little more than two months away. Austin Hedges should serve as Cleveland's primary catcher in the meantime, with Rene Rivera handling backup duties.

Rogers was recalled from Triple-A Toledo on Friday.

The 26-year-old lost the backup job in spring training to Grayson Greiner, but he'll head to the majors Friday with starter Wilson Ramos (back) landing on the injured list. Greiner likely will take over primary duties behind the plate, but Rogers should see occasional opportunities until Ramos can return.

Perez underwent surgery to repair his fractured ring finger Friday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Previous reports had indicated that Perez intended to play through the injury. He or his team evidently changed those plans, however, as he landed on the injured list Wednesday and underwent surgery two days later. His expected return date is not yet clear. Austin Hedges and Rene Rivera will split time behind the plate in his absence.

Jansen went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Thursday's win over the A's.

His fourth-inning blast helped chase Mike Fiers from the game. It was Jansen's first homer of the year in his 22nd game, but with Alejandro Kirk (hip) out for a month or more, Jansen should see a big workload in May despite his feeble .083/.167/.150 slash line.

Maldonado went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run Thursday against the Yankees.

Maldonado entered the game with only two extra-base hits across 72 plate appearances this season. He did manage his first homer of the campaign Thursday when he took Justin Wilson yard in the ninth inning. Maldonado will need several more strong performances to pull up his poor .129/.197/.214 line across 76 plate appearances to this point.

Stassi was placed on the seven-day injured list with a concussion Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Stassi ran into a stanchion trying to track down a foul ball on Tuesday, though he remained in the game. However, he was out of Wednesday's lineup, so Tuesday's play could be the cause of his stint on the injured list. During Stassi's absence, Kurt Suzuki should serve as the team's primary backstop.

Heim went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and another run scored during Thursday's win over the Twins.

With the Rangers trailing by one in the seventh frame, Heim stepped up to the plate with two outs and evened the score with a long ball against Hansel Robles. The Rangers eventually pulled ahead with an extra-innings victory in the 10th. Across 12 games, the 25-year-old backstop has hit two homers while batting .125/.182/.325.

Mejia isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Angels, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mejia will be out of the lineup for the second time in the last three games after he went hitless with a strikeout in three at-bats Wednesday. Mike Zunino will start behind the plate and bat seventh.

Murphy went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and a run-scoring double in a loss to the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

Murphy filled the designated hitter role in Wednesday's contest and certainly did his part with the bat, driving in half of the Athletics' runs on the night. The 26-year-old is still sporting a lackluster .213 average, but that figure's actually been climbing of late; factoring in Wednesday's production, Murphy is hitting .320 (8-for-25) with a double, two home runs, four RBI, three walks, two hit by pitches and four runs over his last eight games.