MLB Player News

Collins finished the 2017 at Double-A Birmingham, posting an .893 OPS over 12 games with the Barons.

Collins came out of college with a reputation as a sure-thing bat with questions surrounding his defense -- however, his season played out the opposite way. He batted just .224 while striking out 27.3 percent of the time over his 471 plate appearances. It's not uncommon for young catchers to experience an initial dip in offense as they learn the defensive aspects of such a demanding position at the professional level. One noteworthy item that stands out is Collins walked in 18.5 percent of his plate appearances to post a .370 on-base percentage. There's nobody blocking him at the major-league level, so Collins could reach Chicago as a regular by 2019 if his defense remains on the same trajectory.

Perez (side) is expected to return Tuesday for the series opener in Toronto, The Associated Press reports.

The catcher sat out three straight games to end the week after aggravating an intercostal injury Thursday. Time is running out on Kansas City's season, as they sit a handful of games out of the final wild-card spot, so manager Ned Yost will certainly get Perez back in the lineup as soon as possible. At the same time, should the club be eliminated from postseason contention, Perez could very well be shut down before the campaign officially ends.

Gonzalez was outrighted to Double-A Birmingham on Sunday, Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Gonzalez was already assigned to Birmingham, so the move was made to open up a spot on the 40-man roster. Gonzalez played 71 games with Birmingham this season, over which he hit .208/.306/.301.

Narvaez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Tigers.

With the left-handed Matt Boyd starting for Detroit, Narvaez will head to the bench. Rob Brantly will serve as Chicago's backstop and hit ninth.

McCann is not in the lineup Sunday against the White Sox.

McCann had a fantastic game Saturday. He went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and two RBI. However, Saturday marked the third straight game that McCann had started, so he'll get Sunday off. Bryan Holaday will serve as Detroit's catcher Sunday.

Perez (side) is not in the lineup Sunday against the Indians.

Perez will miss his third straight game Sunday as he continues dealing with an intercostal injury. Cam Gallagher will serve as the Royals' backstop Sunday with Perez being withheld from the lineup.

Vazquez is starting at catcher and hitting second Saturday against the Rays, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

This is his first time batting higher than sixth this season, but since the typical No. 2 hitter, Dustin Pedroia, is out of the lineup, this may be a one-time thing. For what it's worth, Vazquez is hitting .395/.425/.632 with two home runs in his lat 38 at-bats, so he's the team's hottest hitter.

Perez (side) is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Indians, MLBPressbox.com reports.

Perez will miss Saturday's game while nursing an intercostal injury that forced the catcher to remain out of the starting nine Friday as well. Though Perez may return Friday, Drew Butera will remain behind the plate in his stead Saturday.

Sanchez is out of the lineup for Saturday's contest against Baltimore.

Sanchez receives a standard day off following eight straight starts, hitting .406 with three home runs and seven RBI during that span. In his place, Austin Romine will handle the catching duties.

Jansen, who ascended from High- to Triple-A during the 2017 season, finished the campaign with a .323/.400/.484 slash line over 104 total games.

The catching prospect logged 31 games at High-A, 52 contests at Double-A and 21 affairs at Triple-A. Overall, he popped 10 home runs, notched 48 RBI and scored 50 times. Jansen's jump through the ranks was obviously impressive, but the 22-year-old's plate discipline (1.02 BB/K) was equally noteworthy. Toronto's 16th-round selection in 2013 has thrust himself into a tight race with Max Pentecost for the Jays' heir apparent to Russell Martin.