MLB Player News

Yankees catcher Chris Stewart, who left Saturday's game due to dehydration, returned Sunday night against the Red Sox. Stewart has a .262/.309/.369 line in 32 games.

Yankees catcher Chris Stewart was forced out of Saturday's game against the Red Sox in the fifth inning because of dehydration.

Stewart left the game after hitting a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning. He was replaced by Austin Romine in the fifth. Stewart is hitting .262 with three homers and eight RBI.

Royals manager Ned Yost expects to get catcher Salvador Perez back Monday. Perez has been away from the team following the death of his grandmother.

"It's been really hard to get a hold of him, but Sal's got his priorities right taking care of his family," Yost said. "So when he gets back, he'll have everything under control."

Perez hit .369/.388/.462 in 65 at-bats in May.

The Royals don't expect to get catcher Salvador Perez back until Tuesday, the Kansas City Star reports. Perez has been out since May 24 due to the death of his grandmother.

Since Perez will exceed the seven-day limit for the bereavement list, he will forfeit a few days' pay before he returns Tuesday. He has hit .311/.327/.411 with one home run and 15 RBI in 151 at-bats.

The Royals are unsure when catcher Salvador Perez will return from the bereavement list. 

Perez last played May 24 due to the death of his grandmother. He returned to Venezuela and the Royals have had difficulty reaching him according to manager Ned Yost. Perez is attempting to bring his mother back to the United States with him, which may be forcing Perez to lag in Venezuela.

Yost said his best guess for Perez's return is Monday, although there is some hope he returns for the weekend.

Indians catcher/infielder Yan Gomes went 3 for 4 with a run and an RBI at catcher Thursday against the Reds. It was Gomes's second three-hit performance in his last five games.

Gomes doesn't have a clear path to playing time in Cleveland, seeing action in 12 games in May, but when he's played, he's hit. He has a .319 batting average and five home runs in 69 at-bats this season.

Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal made his season debut Tuesday at Seattle. Grandal, who was activated from the restricted list after serving a 50-game suspension, batted sixth in the lineup and finished 1 for 3 with a single and a run scored in a 6-1 win.

Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal was activated from the restricted list Tuesday, as his 50-game suspension has come to an end. The team optioned John Baker to Triple-A Tucson, and designated infielder Edinson Rincon for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. 

Let's not mince words here: If you're starting Buster Posey, Carlos Santana, Joe Mauer, Yadier Molina, Matt Wieters, Mike Napoli, Brian McCann or maybe Wilin Rosario at catcher, you're probably not picking up the Padres' Yasmani Grandal in anticipation of his return from a 50-game suspension Tuesday. If you're starting anyone else, you probably are.

Or at least, you probably should. The .863 OPS he compiled over the three months or so that he was in the big leagues last year would have ranked fourth among full-time catchers if he had done it over a full season, placing him ahead of Santana and Mauer, among others. Now, you could argue the OPS was artificially enhanced by the PEDs he was using, and maybe it was. But it's not like he was some out-of-nowhere minor-league journeyman putting up those numbers. He was the 12th overall pick in 2010 -- a legit prospect with big-time potential.

Plus, his batting eye was as responsible for his impressive debut as anything else. As long as that wasn't a fluke, I'd bank on the reduced fences at PETCO Park allowing Grandal to produce at near the level he did last year.

Yankees catcher Chris Stewart was back in action Monday night against the Mets.

Stewart, who missed seven of his previous eight games with a groin injury, recorded a single in the seventh inning for his only hit of the night. He finished 1 for 3 in a 2-1 defeat. He is hitting .276/.313/.395 with three home runs and seven RBI in 76 at-bats.