MLB Player News

Perez is not starting Thursday against the Pirates.

Perez, who returned from the injured list earlier in the week, will head to the bench after starting the past two games and going 0-for-6 with a walk and two strikeouts. Beau Taylor is starting behind the dish Thursday.

The Giants called up Bart from their alternate training site ahead of Thursday's game against the Angels.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 first-year player draft and one of the top catching prospects in all of baseball, Bart will make the jump to the majors with less than 100 plate appearances of Double-A experience under his belt. Despite his lack of high-level experience, the 23-year-old should prove to be an immediate upgrade over the Giants' current backstop tandem of Chadwick Tromp (.521 OPS) and Tyler Heineman (.503 OPS). Expect Bart to immediately settle into an everyday role behind the dish with San Francisco, and the Giants could look to keep his bat in the lineup by deploying him as a designated hitter on his non-catching days. Bart slashed .284/.343/.542 with 29 home runs in 130 games over his two seasons in the minors.

The Rockies reinstated Diaz (not injury related) from the restricted list Thursday, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

Colorado had moved Diaz to the restricted list Monday after he broke COVID-19-related protocols, but his reinstatement suggests he's now made amends for the transgression. Diaz is expected to step back in as the primary backup to top catcher Tony Wolters.

Grandal (back) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers.

Grandal will sit for the third day in a row while he deals with lower-back stiffness. The White Sox continue to view Grandal's injury as a day-to-day situation, so the club is seemingly hopeful he'll check back into the starting nine for this weekend's series with the Cubs. James McCann will catch for Lucas Giolito in the series finale against Detroit.

Jansen is out of the lineup for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Phillies.

The Blue Jays are presumably saving Jansen for the second game of the doubleheader, when he'll be catching for starting pitcher Trent Thornton (elbow). Reese McGuire will catch for Chase Anderson in the front end of the twin bill.

Sanchez is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays.

Sanchez will get a day off for the first time since Aug. 8 while the Yankees and Rays conclude their series with a matinee game. Erik Kratz will replace Sanchez behind the plate, and Aaron Hicks will serve as the Yankees' designated hitter. Sanchez is batting only .175 in August, but he's slugged six home runs in 17 games.

Maldonado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 13-6 road win over Colorado.

Maldonado's shot in the third inning started the Astros' offensive onslaught. His stick in 2020 is more potent than it's ever been, as Maldonado has a career-high .802 OPS. The nine-hole hitter is reaping the benefits of a Houston lineup that is one of the best in MLB; Maldonado has 16 RBI over 20 games (58 at-bats), well ahead of any pace in previous seasons.

Nola went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and four RBI during Wednesday's win over the Dodgers.

Nola gave the Mariners the first lead of the game with a two-out RBI single against Julio Urias in the first inning. He then regained the lead for Seattle in the third with a two-run homer off Dennis Santana. The 30-year-old has been solid so far this season, racking up three long balls and 12 RBI while batting .279/.338/.515.

Collins went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Wednesday's 5-3 win over Detroit.

Collins' fifth-inning double was his first hit of the season. He got the start at catcher with Yasmani Grandal (back) on the shelf for a few days. Grandal is not expected back before the weekend, so Collins could get a few more opportunities in the coming days. The catcher is now 1-for-16 overall.

Casali went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a hit-by-pitch in a 5-0 win over the Royals in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader.

Casali went deep in the sixth inning off Royals reliever Gabe Speier to produce the Reds' final run of the contest. The long ball was Casali's third of the year to go with three RBI and five runs scored across 40 plate appearances. Expect the 31-year-old to see little playing time as Tucker Barnhart makes most of the starts at catcher.