MLB Player News

Perez went 1-for-2 with a home run, a walk and two RBI in Saturday's win over the Royals.

The 28-year-old has been on a nice roll of late, hitting safely in four straight games with two homers and nine RBI over that span. He started August on a 2-for-17 slide and he still plays second fiddle to Yan Gomes, but this recent run could earn Perez a bit more playing time in the immediate future.

Diaz was recalled by the Pirates on Saturday.

He returns to the Pirates with Francisco Cervelli heading back to the disabled list due to an irritated quadriceps. Diaz figures to platoon with Chris Stewart behind the dish while Cervelli is on the shelf. The 26-year-old Diaz is slashing .250/.283/.350 with 16 RBI in 100 at-bats this season.

Hedges isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Marlins.

Hedges has had a tough time hitting as of late, going 3-for-19 with nine strikeouts in his last seven games. He'll get the day off while Hector Sanchez fills in behind the dish.

Gomes is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Royals.

Despite going 2-for-4 in Friday's win over the Royals, Gomes will head to the bench after starting three of the past four games at catcher. Roberto Perez will take over behind the dish in his stead.

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup Saturday against the Nationals, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

Kevin Plawecki will start at catcher and hit sixth for Saturday's game. D'Arnaud's disappointing season has continued through August, as he's hitting just .210 with a .537 OPS over 20 games since the start of the month.

Stassi landed on the 10-day DL with left hand inflammation prior to Friday's game against the Angels.

It's not clear when Stassi injured his hand, but the 26-year-old will spend some time on the shelf while recovering from this minor injury. With the return of Evan Gattis (concussion) in a corresponding move, it's unlikely that Stassi will see too much time on the field during the rest of the season, but he will likely serve as the third catcher upon his return.

Sanchez has been suspended four games for his role in Thursday's brawl with the Tigers, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Major League Baseball will punish Sanchez with both a suspension and a fine for throwing punches. While the video speaks for itself, Sanchez will appeal the suspension regardless in hopes of having it reduced. He's listed in the starting lineup for Friday's game against Seattle, catching and batting third against lefty Ariel Miranda.

Diaz was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday.

Francisco Cervelli's return will force Diaz to the minors, but he should be back once rosters expand in September. Diaz went 4-for-21 with five strikeouts in his most recent stint with the major-league club and is now batting .250/.283/.350 in 36 games with Pittsburgh, which is similar to his line with Indy.

Vazquez is not in Friday's lineup against the Orioles, WEEI.com's Evan Drellich reports.

Vazquez will give way to Sandy Leon for the second straight game, and fifth time in the last seven contests. Since July 29, Vazquez is hitting .412/.455/.627 with two home runs and seven RBI, and figures to be back in the lineup for Saturday's affair.

Contreras (hamstring) took batting practice Friday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

In addition to hitting for the second consecutive day, Contreras practiced throwing to second base from behind the plate. Barring any setbacks, Contreras will look to return to action in mid-September. Until then, Alex Avila and Rene Rivera are in line to spend time in the Cubs' lineup.