MLB Player News

Maldonado is not in the lineup against the Astros on Wednesday.

Maldonado will get a standard day off for maintenance purposes after starting the past three games behind the plate. In his absence, Rene Rivera will catch Nick Tropeano and bat ninth.

Thaiss went 4-for-5 with three runs Tuesday for Double-A Mobile against Mississippi.

The four-hit night upped his average from .250 to .290, and his overall slash line (.290/.333/.464) now looks closer to what we would expect from Thaiss in a return trip to the Southern League. His current .174 ISO is his highest mark since rookie ball, which is important because hitting for notable power was the one thing he needed to improve on this season. He will likely be promoted to Triple-A in the coming months, and may even earn a September call-up to the majors.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and two runs scored Tuesday against the Twins.

After hitting just .063/.091/.188 through 32 at-bats to begin the season, Sanchez sat out two games with a calf injury. Since then, he has recorded at least one hit in nine of his 11 games, and has also produced two multi-home run games along with 12 RBI and eight runs scored. Though he's still hitting just .208/.247/.481 for the season, he has broken out of his early-season slump.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's loss to the Brewers.

The catcher went deep in his second at-bat of the season, as he was activated earlier in the day after missing the first 20 games of the year with a Grade 2 MCL tear. Manager Ned Yost could elect to take it somewhat cautiously with Perez and give the 27-year-old more days off than usual at first, but it's encouraging to see him off to a good start.

Gallagher was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

Gallagher is no longer needed as the team's backup catcher with Salvador Perez coming off the disabled list, so he'll head back to the minors to serve as organizational depth. He hit just .208/.240/.292 across 25 plate appearances with the big club.

Perez (knee) was activated from the 10-day disabled list Tuesday.

After he logged consecutive rehab games behind the plate, the Royals deemed Perez healthy enough to return from the disabled list. He may be eased back into action given the nature of his injury, but he will likely take on his normal heavy workload relatively soon. To make room for him on the active roster, Cameron Gallagher was sent back to the minors.

Gomes is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cubs, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Gomes will head to the bench for a breather after starting three straight games behind the dish, going 4-for-12 with a pair of RBI over that stretch. In his place, Roberto Perez will start at catcher and hit seventh.

Vazquez is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Blue Jays, Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com reports.

Vazquez doubled in Sunday's contest, but his batting average on the season still sits at a lowly .211 mark. He'll head to the bench for a night off, allowing Sandy Leon to pick up a start behind the plate.

Gomes went 3-for-5 and drove in a run Sunday as the Indians defeated the Orioles 7-3.

Although Gomes has started the majority of Cleveland's games behind the dish, it's not uncommon for him to share time with Roberto Perez. Despite this, he's been effective when in the lineup and has hit .261 with three home runs. However, that batting average may not be sustainable, as he's struck out in 34 percent of his plate appearances.

Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored Sunday against the Blue Jays.

Saturday's day off seemed to benefit Sanchez, as he hit his fifth double of the season and scored twice in his return to the lineup. Although he's gotten off to a slow start to the season and is hitting .188 with a .614 OPS over 17 games, he's starting to find his rhythm at the dish. Over his last seven games, he's gone 8-for-28 (.286) and drawn two walks.