MLB Player News

Perez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during Monday's win over Detroit.

Perez is well on his way to a career year with 20 homers, 62 RBI, 43 runs and a .284/.315/.525 slash line. Both his fantasy ceiling and floor benefit from seeing more at-bats than the majority of catchers around the league -- a benefit of the Royals utilizing Perez as their designated hitter more than ever this season.

Pena (undisclosed) was activated from the disabled list at Triple-A Charlotte on Monday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Pena has been sidelined since the beginning of July, but it appears the three-plus-week absence was enough to get him back to full health. That said, his uninspiring slash line with the Triple-A club has him locked into an organizational depth role for the foreseeable future.

Nicholas was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Monday, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

The Rangers are labeling backup catcher Robinson Chirinos as day-to-day after X-rays on his sprained left ankle came back negative, but Nicholas will still earn his first call-up of the season to act as insurance behind the plate. Jonathan Lucroy is slated to handle the bulk of the duties at catcher, so Nicholas won't be in line for more than a start or two a week even if it's determined that Chirinos will require a trip to the disabled list. Nicholas is batting .311/.353/.469 over 293 plate appearances this season at Round Rock.

Gomes is out of the lineup Monday against the Reds.

Gomes will retreat to the bench following two straight turns behind the dish, allowing Roberto Perez to draw the start at catcher. In six appearances since the All-Star break, Gomes has gone 4-for-21 with a home run and two RBI.

Contreras hit his 15th home run of the season in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Cardinals.

The catcher's two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth inning broke a 3-3 tie and propelled the Cubs to their eighth win in the last nine games. Contreras has been going deep rather frequently, as Sunday's blast marked the third time he's left the yard in the last four games -- a span that's also featured seven RBI.

Barnes hit a three-run home run as a part of a 2-for-4 showing Sunday against the Braves.

Barnes managed to open up the scoring in the fourth inning off Atlanta starter Sean Newcomb by belting an 0-2 offering over the fence. The 27-year-old catcher boasts a .944 OPS in his limited playing time, although his fantasy upside is limited as long as he's behind Yasmani Grandal in the pecking order behind the plate in Los Angeles. However, given how well he performs in his few opportunities, Barnes is a decent option in deeper two-catcher leagues.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Giants.

Sanchez's slugging percentage has ballooned all the way up to .597 in 71 plate appearances thanks to an 11-for-28 stretch with six extra-base hits since July 15. If the catcher keeps hitting like this, it will be hard to take him out of the lineup even when Austin Hedges (concussion) returns from the DL.

Grandal is out of the lineup Sunday against the Braves.

Grandal is 8-for-24 at the plate since the All-Star break, and is the owner of three consecutive multi-hit games. He'll be rewarded for his efforts with a day off, giving way to Austin Barnes behind the plate.

Vazquez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Angels, Scott Lauber of ESPN.com reports.

With a .177 batting average since the beginning of June, Vazquez's hot start to the season has looked like a distant memory, and may have allowed Sandy Leon to carve out a larger portion in the timeshare at catcher. Leon will be behind the plate Sunday for the fourth time in six games.

Mesoraco is out of the lineup Sunday against the Marlins.

Mesoraco is feeling healthy again after a back issue sidelined him for about two weeks, but the Reds will continue to act conservatively with his workload this season due to his extensive injury history. He'll sit Sunday for the third time in five days, affording Tucker Barnhart a start behind the plate.