MLB Player News

Stassi is not in the lineup Friday against Colorado.

Stassi went 0-for-2 with a sacrifice fly and a walk Thursday and will take a seat for Friday's contest. Anthony Bemboom will start behind the plate in the series opener.

Plawecki (hand) is batting fifth as the designated hitter Friday at Tampa Bay, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The 29-year-old had X-rays on his right hand come back negative after being hit by a pitch last weekend, and he'll return to action against the Rays. Plawecki has a .354/.404/.500 slash line with one homer, four doubles and 11 RBI in 52 plate appearances this season.

Perez (eye) was activated from the 10-day injured list Friday and will start against the Pirates, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

The veteran backstop has been sidelined since Aug. 17 while recovering from blurred vision in his left eye, but he's good to rejoin the Royals on Friday. Perez has a .307/.326/.511 slash line with four homers through 22 games and should reclaim the everyday role behind the plate now that he's healthy.

Trevino (wrist) is not in the lineup Friday against the A's.

The 27-year-old sustained a left wrist sprain Wednesday and will be sidelined for the second consecutive contest. Sam Huff will start behind the plate and bat eighth in his major-league debut Friday.

Grandal is not in the lineup Friday against the Tigers.

Grandal has a modest six-game hit streak and is 9-for-23 with two homers, two doubles, six runs ans seven RBI during that stretch, but he'll receive a breather Friday. James McCann will start behind the plate in the series opener versus Detroit.

Perez isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Royals.

Perez will take a seat Thursday for the fourth time in the past seven games. Cleveland currently has three catchers on the active roster, so Perez could continue to see inconsistent playing time going forward.

Perez is not in Thursday's lineup against the Red Sox.

Perez only starts against right-handed pitchers, so it stands that he would head to the bench with southpaw Mike Kickham starting for Boston. Kevan Smith will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Thaiss will serve as the Angels' designated hitter and will bat second Thursday against the Rangers, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Thaiss will pick up his third straight start after assignments at second base Tuesday and in left field Wednesday. With David Fletcher (ankle) and Franklin Barreto (shoulder) on the shelf, the keystone likely represents Thaiss' most realistic path to consistent action in the short term. The lefty-hitting Thaiss could occupy the larger side of a platoon at the position with the switch-hitting Luis Rengifo.

Murphy is not in Thursday's lineup against the Astros.

Murphy has a .214/.353/.429 slash line with two home runs, four runs and five RBI over his last 10 starts. Jonah Heim will start behind the dish and bat ninth.

Huff will be added to the Rangers' roster prior to Thursday's game against the Angels, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The Rangers would have had to add Huff to the 40-man roster this offseason anyway, so they are going to do so a few months early so that they can get a look at him against big-league pitching. Huff's 70-grade raw power is impressive by any standards, let alone compared to other catching prospects. However, he has typically logged horrific BB/K rates (0.16 at Low-A, 0.23 at High-A) and has never played above High-A, so it would be surprising if he does much more than ambush the occassional meatball during this cup of coffee. Jose Trevino (wrist) could be headed to the injured list in a corresponding move, so it would be Huff and Jeff Mathis splitting time behind the dish in the short term.