MLB Player News

Cleveland is likely to activate Perez (finger) from the 60-day injured list before Saturday's game against the Astros, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

Perez, who suffered the finger injury May 3, has been rehabbing with Triple-A Columbus since June 23, going 2-for-15 with four walks in those games. Though he hit just .131 before the injury, the 32-year-old will likely return to the top of Cleveland's offensively-inept catching depth chart.

Grandal (calf) said he feels fine and is sitting out Saturday against the Tigers just to be safe, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The catcher said he felt nothing more than some tightness in his left calf. Given his comments, Grandal figures to be available Saturday as an emergency backup, but there's been no indication from the White Sox as to whether he is in fact available off the bench.

Mejia went 2-for-3 with two doubles and a run in a loss to the Blue Jays on Friday.

The reserve backstop came through at the plate yet again in another spot start, forging the only multi-hit effort of the night for the Rays. Mejia has now hit safely in four of the last five starts, and while his .256/.317/.388 slash line is uninspiring overall, it's arguably serviceable for a backup catcher, especially when considering one-third of his 33 hits have gone for extra bases (eight doubles, three home runs).

Kirk (hip) will need to appear in a few more rehab games before he's cleared to return from the injured list, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Kirk has appeared in two rehab games with Triple-A Buffalo, going 2-for-5 with a double, two runs, two RBI and three walks. The Blue Jays aren't in need of immediate help at catcher after Danny Jansen (hamstring) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Saturday, so Kirk will have several more games to work in the minors before he rejoins the big-league club.

Adams was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday.

Adams served in a depth role with the major-league club for just under a month and hit .107 with two doubles and two runs across 12 games. He should get more consistent playing time in the minors, and his demotion will make room on the 26-man roster for Danny Jansen (hamstring), who was reinstated from the injured list Saturday.

Contreras isn't starting Saturday's game against the Marlins.

Contreras went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Friday, and he'll be out of the lineup for the fourth time in the last six games. Kevan Smith will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Jansen (hamstring) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Saturday.

Jansen spent nearly a month on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain, but he appeared in two rehab games with Triple-A Buffalo. He went 2-for-6 with two runs, two walks and a strikeout during his rehab stint and will be available for the Blue Jays going forward. He isn't starting Saturday's game against the Rays, but Jansen should see a fairly even split of the playing time with Reese McGuire behind the dish in the immediate future.

Barnhart isn't starting Saturday against the Cubs.

Barnhart has gone 0-for-5 with two walks and three strikeouts across his last four appearances, and he continues to alternate starts behind the dish. Tyler Stephenson will start at catcher and bat fifth.

Perez went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's 7-4 win over the Twins.

He took J.A. Happ deep in the second inning to get the Royals on the board. Perez is catching fire again at the plate, going 8-for-17 over his last four games with two homers, and he's already reached the 20-homer plateau for the fifth time in his career.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Friday's 9-3 extra-inning loss to the Cardinals.

The 30-year-old backstop is on a roll, hitting safely in six straight games and going yard in four straight. The surge has boosted his slash line on the season to a still-rough .203/.279/.377, but he's at least been a viable streaming option in Coors Field, posting a .786 OPS at home with five of his six homers on the year.