MLB Player News

Manager Ned Yost reaffirmed Wednesday that Perez's rib tightness is "nothing major," adding that the catcher is feeling "much better" and will return to the lineup Friday against Boston, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Perez left Tuesday's game in the fifth inning after experiencing tightness following an at-bat. He was not in the lineup Wednesday, but Yost said that was only precautionary. Cam Gallagher was brought up from Triple-A Omaha to replace Perez on Wednesday, but the former is likely headed back before Friday's game.

Gomes is out of the lineup Thursday against the Angels.

It appears to be a regular day off for Gomes, who was behind the plate for the first two games of the series. Roberto Perez will get the call in his place for the afternoon matchup.

Maldonado is out of the lineup Thursday agains the Indians.

Maldonado is coming off 10 consecutive starts -- his longest such stretch of the season. Over that period since the All-Star break, his bat has cooled off a little bit, as he's hitting .182 with nine strikeouts. He does have two long balls, though, so there's no reason for fantasy owners to panic. Juan Graterol will pick up a rare start in his stead for the series finale.

Realmuto went 3-for-6 with a two-run homer, three RBI and three runs during Wednesday's win over the Rangers.

Realmuto is turning in another strong fantasy campaign with a .307/.367/.484 slash line, 11 homers, 42 RBI and 44 runs. He's started 81 games, so his workload is another fantasy boost and has helped him climb the catcher ranks. Realmuto should be viewed as a high-end backstop moving forward.

Rupp hit a pair of solo homers over four at-bats in Wednesday's 9-0 win over Houston.

He's been providing plenty of thunder when given the chance lately -- over his last seven starts, Rupp has gone 9-for-23 (.391) with four homers, three doubles, eight RBI and six runs. Unfortunately, that production has been spread out over more than two weeks; Rupp's limited playing time means that even this outburst only makes him ownable in NL-only and two-catcher formats.

Leon went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer against the Mariners on Wednesday.

Boston's backup catcher hadn't homered since June 23, and the .222/.286/.244 line he put up over 45 at-bats in the interim certainly didn't help any fantasy owners. He's proving that last year's surprising productivity (.310 batting average, .845 OPS) was a fluke.

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Padres.

D'Arnaud has hits in each of his past five starts, but he'll hit the bench after starting the first two games of the series with San Diego. Rene Rivera will assume catching duties for the evening.

Sanchez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game with the Mets.

Sanchez has been on a tear during his brief tenure as the Padres' primary catcher (1.183 OPS over the past 14 games), but he'll head to the bench for a night off Wednesday. Luis Torrens will replace him behind the plate.

Narvaez will start at catcher and bat sixth Wednesday against the Cubs, MLB.com reports.

Narvaez will be behind the plate for the fourth time in six games, so for at least the time being, it appears he may have surpassed the slumping Kevan Smith on the depth chart at catcher. Neither backstop has been much of an asset from a fantasy standpoint this season, and even with the uptick in usage, Narvaez still profiles as a below-average No. 2 option in two-catcher mixed formats. He's batting .268 with just one home run, nine RBI and 16 runs over 176 plate appearances this season.

Perez (ribs) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the Tigers, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Although Perez had been hopeful to play Wednesday after leaving early Tuesday with right-side rib tightness, manager Ned Yost decided it was best to give the catcher a day off to rest. With the team off the schedule Thursday, Perez will actually have two full days to heal, leaving Yost optimistic that he'll be able to play in Friday's series opener with the Red Sox, according to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. During the Royals' current seven-game win streak, Perez has gone 8-for-25 with two home runs and four RBI.