MLB Player News

Perez isn't starting Saturday's game against the Reds.

Perez will take a seat for the second time in the last three games after he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Friday. Austin Hedges starts behind the plate, batting eighth.

Grandal isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Red Sox.

Grandal has gone hitless with six walks, one run, one RBI and four strikeouts in his last 21 plate appearances. Zack Collins will start behind the dish Saturday, batting sixth.

Garver went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Friday's 10-3 loss to the Angels.

Garver tied the game at 2-2 with his two-run double in the sixth inning and later came around to score the go-ahead run before the Angels' bats caught fire. The 6-foot-1 catcher is up to four extra-base hits and six RBI this season.

Maldonado (COVID-19 protocols) is unlikely to return during the Astros' current five-game road trip, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Maldonado was one of five Astros who landed on the COVID-19 injured list Wednesday. The team hasn't announced whether Maldonado has tested positive for the virus, but manager Dusty Baker said Friday that none of the five players are likely to return before the Astros return home Thursday. Jason Castro and Garrett Stubbs should continue to fill in behind the plate in Maldonado's absence.

Mejia went 2-for-4 in Thursday's 6-4 extra-inning loss to Texas.

The backup catcher has started strong at the plate this season, hitting .300 in 20 at-bats with only one strikeout. A former top prospect, Mejia has been involved in multiple blockbuster trades throughout his career but has yet to live up to high offensive expectations. That being said, his performance early in 2021 has been promising, and if it continues it may be enough to earn Mejia more opportunities over starter Mike Zunino, who's never hit for a respectable average and has begun this year no differently.

Perez is not starting Thursday against the White Sox, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Perez has handled a fairly heavy workload behind the plate this season, as Thursday's day off will be just his third in 12 games. Austin Hedges will get the nod in his absence.

Garver isn't starting Thursday's game against Boston, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Garver went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Red Sox. Ryan Jeffers will start behind the dish for Thursday's series finale, batting eighth.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Angels.

Perez opened the scoring with a solo shot in the third inning. He added an RBI double in the seventh and scored on Carlos Santana's two-run blast. Perez swung a hot bat against the Angels, going 8-for-12 with four RBI and three runs scored in the three-game series. He's slashing .333/.395/.641 with three homers, eight RBI and eight runs scored across 43 plate appearances this season.

Kirk went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run during Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Yankees.

The 22-year-old was hitless in 13 at-bats through his first six appearances of the season, but he finally connected Wednesday for his second home run of his career. Kirk has received five starts in Toronto's first 12 games of the year and may need to improve at the plate to maintain that level of playing time, though fellow catcher Danny Jansen has struggled similarly (2-for-22) to open 2021.

Grandal is not in Wednesday's lineup against Cleveland.

He is 0-for-11 with six walks and four strikeouts over his last four games. Zack Collins starts behind the dish and will bat sixth.