MLB Player News

Jackson was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Friday.

Jackson was optioned to Nashville at the beginning of May, but he'll serve as the No. 2 catcher behind Victor Caratini while Omar Narvaez is on the COVID-19 injured list. Jackson appeared in three games during his first stint with the major-league club, and he went 2-for-7 with four strikeouts.

Perez is starting at designated hitter Friday against the Astros and may not be able to catch this weekend, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports Kansas City reports.

He was in the Royals' original lineup at catcher but was moved to DH as his ailing thumb continues to bother him. MJ Melendez is starting at catcher in Perez's place.

Kirk isn't starting Friday against the Twins.

Kirk will get a breather after he went 7-for-16 with two homers, two doubles, six runs, five RBI, two walks and two strikeouts over the last four games. Teoscar Hernandez will serve as the designated hitter while Raimel Tapia starts in right field.

Stallings is not in the starting lineup for Friday's contest versus the Giants.

Stallings will take a rest Friday after going 1-for-3 with an RBI in Thursday's game. Nick Fortes will start behind the plate and bat ninth.

Ruiz is not in the starting lineup for Friday's contest against the Reds.

Ruiz will get a day off after going 0-for-4 with a strikeout in the loss to the Reds on Thursday. Riley Adams will get the start at catcher and bat seventh Friday.

Contreras (ankle), who isn't starting Friday against the Cardinals, will be available off the bench if needed, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The 30-year-old was hit by a pitch above his left ankle Thursday, but manager David Ross said that the backstop's absence from Friday's lineup is a scheduled day off. Even if Contreras doesn't appear off the bench Friday, Ross is confident that the catcher will be back in the lineup Saturday. P.J. Higgins will start behind the plate and bat seventh Friday.

D'Arnaud went 3-for-5 with two home runs, three runs scored and six RBI in Thursday's 13-6 rout of the Rockies.

The game featured 19 runs between the two squads, and d'Arnaud knocked in six of those with a two-run shot in the third inning and a grand slam in the fifth. The six RBI were a career high for the backstop, and this was the fourth multi-homer game of his career, per Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan Atlanta. D'Arnaud is up to six long balls and 23 RBI on the campaign while slashing .262/.293/.454 across 147 plate appearances.

Contreras (ankle) is not in the starting lineup for Friday's contest with the Cardinals.

The catcher was hit in the ankle with a pitch Thursday night, causing him to be unavailable Friday. Fortunately, X-rays came back negative and he is considered day-to-day. Contreras currently owns an eight-game hit streak, batting .367 with four homers, seven RBI, eight runs and a stolen base over those contests. P.J. Higgins will get the start behind the plate and bat seventh Friday.

Kirk went 2-for-3 with a walk and a double in Thursday's win over the White Sox.

The 23-year-old remains locked in at the plate. Kirk has five multi-hit performances in his last seven games, batting a dizzying .480 (12-for-25) over that stretch with four doubles, two homers, six RBI and nine runs scored. Danny Jansen is also raking right now, so two of Kirk's last three starts have come at DH, an arrangement that will likely remain in place until at least one of them cools down.

McCann had his stitches removed earlier this week following surgery on his left hamate bone and is scheduled to begin hitting in the coming days, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

The veteran catcher underwent the wrist surgery a little over two weeks ago, and getting his stitches out was the last step before he could begin swinging a bat again. McCann last played May 10 and will need a rehab assignment before rejoining the Mets' lineup, and as yet there's no clear target date for his return. Tomas Nido will continue to handle starting duties behind the plate in his absence.