MLB Player News

The Indians are hoping to have Perez (shoulder) run the bases and throw from 150 feet back-to-back days, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

Perez is slowly working his way back from a strained right shoulder that has kept him sidelined since the end of July. Until he's cleared to return, Sandy Leon and Beau Taylor should continue to handle catching duties for Cleveland.

Tromp will not start Wednesday against the Astros, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Tromp appears to have taken over the starting catcher role for the Giants, as he'd started five out of six games heading into Wednesday's contest. Tyler Heineman takes over for him in this one.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

Grandal merely looks to be receiving a routine breather with the White Sox and Tigers concluding their series with a day game after a night game. James McCann checks in behind the plate in place of Grandal, who is batting .245 with no home runs and nine RBI on the campaign.

Murphy is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Angels.

Murphy started four of the past five games and will head to the bench after going 3-for-14 with one run and one RBI. Austin Allen will work behind the plate Tuesday for the A's.

Smith is not starting Tuesday against the Padres.

Austin Barnes will start behind the plate Tuesday. Smith still has the slight edge in starts this season, catching 10 games compared to eight for Barnes.

Mejia remains on the bench Tuesday against the Dodgers.

Mejia and Austin Hedges, who gets the call behind the plate Tuesday, have now each been in the lineup nine times in the season's first 18 games. Mejia has just a .429 OPS this season, though that's still better than Hedges' .375 mark.

Narvaez is not starting Tuesday against the Twins.

Narvaez is the clear starting catcher in Milwaukee, though he hasn't seen a particularly heavy workload. He's started nine times behind the plate this season, while Manny Pina, who starts Tuesday, has gotten the nod six times.

Barnhart will sit Tuesday against the Royals.

Barnhart finds himself on the bench for the third time in the last four games, with Curt Casali again starting behind the plate. Barnhart has hit just .167/.200/.167 through his first 25 plate appearances.

Perez went 2-for-5 with a two-run single and a run in a win over the Red Sox on Monday.

Operating out of the bottom of the order, Perez came through with a clutch single in the fourth inning that brought the Rays to within a run after an early 4-0 deficit. The backup catcher has made his presence felt with the bat in recent games, as he provided what turned out to be a game-winning sacrifice fly Friday against the Yankees and then laced a walkoff single versus New York on Sunday as well. Given that primary backstop Mike Zunino is now slashing an unsightly .097/.222/.226 over his first 13 games, it's conceivable the left-handed hitting Perez sees more opportunities against right-handed pitching with the short season restricting how long managers can give struggling players a chance to break out of slumps.

Gomes went 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI in Monday's 16-4 rout of the Mets.

It's been a sluggish start to the season for Gomes -- the hits, runs and RBI were all his first in four games -- but like many Nats hitters, his bat woke up at the start of the team's road trip. If the 33-year-old can put together another good performance or two, he could cut into Kurt Suzuki's playing time behind the plate.