MLB Player News

Perez finished 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Mariners.

Perez entered Thursday's contest having gone hitless in his last 23 at-bats, but he delivered his first three-hit effort in roughly three weeks, the last of which came in the form of a walk-off, two-run double in the bottom of the ninth. Perez's average still sits at a respectable .280 after ending his slide, and he will look to generate some further momentum before what should be an enjoyable All-Star break.

Perez (thumb) will move his rehab to Single-A Lake County next week, MLB.com reports.

Perez is working his way back from a thumb injury and is thus in the early stages of his rehab assignment. He's likely to return as Cleveland's backup catcher once he's able to get back to full health.

d'Arnaud went 1-for-5 with a solo homer Thursday against the Nationals.

d'Arnaud's second homer of the year came in the fourth inning to pull the Mets within two runs in a game they'd eventually win. He's now blasted homers in two of his last three games, and he's slashing .256/.309/.356 in 92 at-bats on the season.

Rupp is starting behind the dish and batting fifth against Colorado on Thursday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Rupp sat Wednesday's contest with Carlos Ruiz getting the start behind the plate but is back in the lineup against Jeremy Hellickson and the Rockies on Thursday. Rupp has collected hits in 10 of his last 11 games, slashing .349/.404/.721 during that time.

Gomes is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees.

Gomes -- batting .103 over his last eight games -- will sit for a second game in a row in favor of Chris Gimenez who gets the start behind the dish. Gomes and Gimenez have been splitting time evenly at catcher recently, seeing 33 and 27 at-bats, respectively, since June 22.

Casali (head) appears to have suffered no more than a bruise after getting hit with a back swing in Wednesday's loss to the Angels, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 27-year-old's medical evaluation seemed to go reasonably well, with manager Kevin Cash reporting that "[Casali] seems to be okay, he's a little beat up." Casali sat in favor of Hank Conger for Thursday's series finale against the Angels and remains day-to-day.

Stephenson (wrist) has begun a rehab assignment in the Arizona Rookie League, RedsMinorLeagues.com reports.

Stephenson's development time has stalled because of the wrist injury, but the good news is that they expected him to take awhile, given that he was drafted from high school. The bad news for him is that the Reds drafted another catcher early this year in Chris Okey, who was taken in the second round, and Okey has already been promoted to Low-A Dayton, where Stephenson was playing prior to the injury.

Casali left Wednesday's game early after getting hit by a back swing, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Time reports.

Casali was hit by a back swing behind the plate earlier in the game, and was eventually forced to leave. He was 0-for-2 before being replaced by Hank Conger. The severity of the injury is currently unknown, but consider him day-to-day until more information is released.

Barnhart went 1-for-4 with a three-run blast in Wednesday's 5-3 victory over the Cubs.

Barnhart's homer off Trevor Cahill in the seventh, his third home run of the season, not only put Cincinnati back ahead but continued his personal hot stretch. In 14 games since June 18, the switch-hitting catcher is batting .348 (16-for-46) with eight RBI. On the current road trip, he is 8-for-20.

Stewart (knee) had an MRI done Wednesday which revealed "wear and tear" that could potentially require surgery, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Stewart was placed on 15-day DL Monday with hopes of returning shortly after the All-Star break. While his MRI revealed that his knee may require surgery, Stewart remains optimistic he can play through the injury. He had struggled in his five games prior to being placed on the DL, going just 2-for-15 from the plate. Expect an update when the club decides how to handle the situation.