MLB Player News

Royals manager Ned Yost reiterated Sunday that Perez (knee) is "very close" to returning from the 10-day disabled list, perhaps as soon as Tuesday's series opener against the Brewers, Rustin Dodd of The Athletic Kansas City reports. "It could very well be the next series," Yost said of Perez's impending activation. "But we just have to wait and see."

After initially appearing in rehab games for Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha as a designated hitter, Perez has caught in the past two games for the latter affiliate, an indication his sprained left knee is no longer much of a concern. Perez has also impressed at the dish during his six rehab contests, going 8-for-21 with two home runs, a double and four RBI. If Perez is in fact activated Tuesday, he could receive an extra rest day or two in his first couple of weeks back with the big club, but he should take on one of the heavier workloads among all catchers in baseball once he's further removed from the injury.

Maldonado is out of the lineup against the Giants on Saturday.

Maldonado will take a seat Saturday after starting the past four games behind the plate for the Halos. Rene Rivera will again replace him at catcher and bat ninth.

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Athletics, Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com reports.

Vazquez has fallen into a bit of a slump -- going 2-for-18 over his last five starts -- and will have a rest day Saturday. Sandy Leon will take over behind the plate for Boston against Oakland, batting seventh.

Sanchez is not in the lineup against the Blue Jays on Saturday.

Sanchez will get a standard day off following eight straight starts, including an 0-for-4 night at the plate with three strikeouts against Toronto on Friday. In his place, Andrew Romine will catch and bat eighth.

McCann is not in the lineup for the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Royals, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

McCann will get the night off after going 2-for-4 with one run scored in the matinee of the twin bill. In his stead, John Hicks will catch and bat sixth.

Gomes is out of the lineup Friday against Baltimore.

Gomes will remain on the bench for the second straight game as Roberto Perez will handle the catching duties for the series opener. Over the course of 11 games this season, Gomes is hitting .216/.293/.405 with two home runs, five RBI and a 36.6 percent strikeout rate.

Manager Ned Yost said that Perez (knee) has been feeling great and could potentially return to the majors prior to the Royals' series against Milwaukee on Tuesday, Joel Goldberg of Fox Sports Kansas City reports.

Perez has appeared in four minor-league games in the past week, including his first outing with Triple-A Omaha on Thursday. The 27-year-old will man the DH spot Friday and then catch both games this weekend to see how his knee holds up on back-to-back days behind the plate. If all goes well, Yost is hopeful that Perez will re-join the Royals during their six-game homestand, whether that's against the Brewers on Tuesday or later on in the week.

Stassi went 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs scored and an RBI on Thursday against the Mariners.

Stassi hit his second home run of the season, this one coming off Marc Rzepczynski in the seventh inning. He has gotten 29 at-bats as the primary backup catcher to Brian McCann and shown flashes of power in his limited opportunities. However, he has also struck out in over 30 percent of his plate appearances. Due to his sporadic opportunity and production, he is only rosterable in AL-only leagues and very deep mixed formats that require two catchers to be in the lineup.

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

As has been the norm so far this season, Vazquez will give way to Sandy Leon behind the dish with Rick Porcello starting for the Red Sox. Vazquez is 11-for-45 (.244) with three RBI through 12 games.

Gomes is not in the lineup against the Twins on Wednesday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

It seems to be a standard day off for the 30-year-old after going 1-for-4 with a trio of strikeouts during Tuesday's contest. In his place, Roberto Perez will catch and bat seventh.