MLB Player News

Mejia was called up by the Indians on Monday, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

Despite seeming nearly big-league ready to start the season, Mejia was sent to Triple-A Columbus, in part to get some work in the outfield, as Cleveland was apparently dissatisfied with his work at catcher. He's done very little to force his way back to the majors this season, hitting a mere .214/.271/.333, but he'll be up anyway as the Indians need a backup catcher with Roberto Perez out with a bruised hand. Perez has not been placed on the disabled list, however, so Mejia's stay could be short.

Perez was placed on the disabled list with a bruised right hand Monday, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

Perez was hit in the hand by a pitch Sunday and was forced to leave the game. He appears to have avoided a fracture but will nevertheless be out for a minimum of 10 days. Francisco Mejia was called up to take his place on the roster.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Kansas City's 3-2 loss to Oakland on Sunday.

The slugging catcher has been relatively quiet lately, but he mashed his 11th long ball of the year with this third-inning solo blast off Oakland starter Sean Manaea to account for one of his team's two runs in the game. His .237 average is lagging behind his career mark of .269, but he's still providing his customary level of power, as Sunday's blast puts him on pace for 28 homers for the season after he hit 27 last year.

Perez underwent an X-ray on his right hand after being lifted in the sixth inning of Sunday's 9-2 win over the Tigers, Zack Meisel of The Athletic Cleveland reports.

The Indians are still awaiting clarity on the results of the scans, but manager Terry Francona said there was a fair chance that Perez "dodged a bullet" with the injury. While that hints Perez may have avoided a fracture of the hand, he was spotted in a soft cast in the locker room after the game, suggesting a trip to the disabled list could still be in store. Perez has served as the primary backup to Yan Gomes at catcher this season, appearing in 24 games and hitting .130/.227/.208.

Perez was removed from Sunday's game against the Tigers after being hit by a pitch on his right hand, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Perez was plunked on the right hand in the top of the sixth inning but remained on the basepaths before being removed from the contest between the half-inning. We'll await word from the Indians on the specifics of the injury.

Maldonado (foot) will start at catcher and bat eighth Sunday against the Twins.

Maldonado was on the bench Saturday due to a left foot injury, but the day off was apparently all he needed to heal up. Assuming he makes it out of Sunday's contest without any setbacks, he should be ready to handle a full workload behind the plate during the upcoming week.

McCann, who is out of the lineup Sunday against the Indians, is dealing with the flu, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

McCann was scheduled to receive the day off in the series finale regardless of his health, so it's not expected that the illness will be the direct cause of any missed starts. He'll be in uniform for Sunday's game and said that he would be available to pinch hit if needed, despite feeling under the weather. John Hicks will be behind the plate in the series finale.

Gomes is out of the lineup Sunday against the Tigers, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Gomes will sit in favor of Roberto Perez for the second time this series, but the former still seems to be the top option on the depth chart at catcher. The 30-year-old has posted a .705 OPS for the season, giving him a 268-point edge over Perez, who has struck out in 38.8 percent of his plate appearances.

McCann is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Indians.

McCann will retreat to the bench in favor of John Hicks after starting the last two games. The Tigers seem committed to getting Hicks regular at-bats, and with Miguel Cabrera back from the disabled list and playing first base most days, that could mean a slight dip in playing time for McCann moving forward. The 27-year-old is slashing .242/.299/.355 this season.

Vazquez is out of the lineup Sunday against the White Sox, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez's playing time looked to be on the decline about a week ago, but he's since resurfaced as the Red Sox's primary backstop, starting four of the past five games behind the plate before taking a seat Sunday. With Vazquez going 5-for-14 with a home run and two walks over those four contests, it still looks he'll see the larger share of time behind the plate for Boston. Sandy Leon will catch for Rick Porcello in the series finale, however.