MLB Player News

Jeffers is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

Jeffers will take a seat for the third time in six games while Gary Sanchez gets a turn behind the plate. Though his superior defense should be enough to earn him at least a handful of starts per week, Jeffers isn't yet offering much from a fantasy standpoint. He's gone hitless with five strikeouts in 10 at-bats over his past three games and is slashing .158/.238/.158 on the season.

Caratini went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a loss to the Cardinals on Saturday.

Caratini provided all of Milwaukee's offense with his solo shot in the eighth inning. It was the first long ball for the backstop as a Brewer after he hit seven homers for the Padres last season. Caratini is slashing .308/.400/.615 on the campaign, and he has split time behind the plate with Omar Narvaez thus far.

Maldonado went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in a 4-0 victory over the Mariners on Saturday.

After going hitless in his first 15 at-bats of the season, Maldonado finally connected for a two-run shot off Seattle starter Chris Flexen to triple Houston's early lead. Maldonado is in the lineup for his defense and is a career .211 batter.

Perez (quadriceps) is expected to return to the lineup Sunday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Perez was hit in his left quadriceps by a foul ball Friday and was out of the lineup Saturday. That move was made out of precaution due to the lack of catching depth within the organization. The issue is not believed to be serious. Andrew Knapp would be the playing time beneficiary if Perez is out longer than expected, or if the team opts to give him continued rest.

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Blue Jays.

The backstop took Hyun Jin Ryu (forearm) deep in the third inning, giving the A's a 5-1 lead they nearly squandered. Murphy is on a tear, going 7-for-19 (.368) over the last four games with three doubles, two homers and six RBI.

Smith isn't starting Saturday's game against Cincinnati, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Smith started the last two games and went 3-for-8 with a homer, four RBI and a strikeout. Austin Barnes will start behind the dish and bat ninth.

Murphy went 1-for-2 with two walks and three runs in a win over the Astros on Friday.

The hot-hitting catcher pushed his average and on-base percentage to .500 and .636, respectively, with his highly active day at the plate and on the basepaths. The sample size of 11 plate appearances on the season for Murphy is miniscule, but it's nevertheless encouraging to see the veteran backstop hit safely in each of his first three games after producing a disappointing .202/.304/.350 slash line across 97 games a season ago.

Perez is considered day-to-day after getting hit in his left quadriceps by a foul ball Friday, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Perez hasn't been diagnosed with anything worse than a contusion, but he could still get a day or two to rest. Andrew Knapp will take over behind the plate Saturday against Washington.

Narvaez isn't starting Saturday's game against the Cardinals.

After going 3-for-8 with a home run, a double, three RBI and two strikeouts in the last two games, Narvaez will rest with left-hander Steven Matz starting for the Cardinals. Victor Caratini will start behind the plate and bat ninth.

Higashioka is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Orioles.

Higashioka started five of the first six games behind the plate but has now been on the bench for two of the last three. Jose Trevino will start in his absence.