MLB Player News

Perez is out of the lineup Friday against the Red Sox, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Drew Butera will start behind the dish and bat eighth as Perez heads to the bench. Perez has had a rough time hitting recently and owns a .174/.208/.304 line over the last 14 days, bringing his batting average down to .254 for the season.

McCann went 4-for-5 with a three-run homer in Thursday's win over the Twins.

McCann's third-inning blast, his 11th of the season, extended his hitting streak to four games, one shy of his season high. The catcher had tallied just five home runs and 23 RBI in 173 first-half at bats, but now has six longballs and 19 RBI in 82 at-bats since the All-Star break. McCann's .256 second-half batting average is also a strong improvement over the .208 he posted prior to the Midsummer Classic.

Leon is not in the lineup Thursday against the Rays, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

After starting the last four games behind the plate, Leon will give way to Bryan Holaday on Thursday. Holaday will bat ninth in the order against Jake Odorizzi.

Sanchez went 2-for-3 with two walks and a solo shot in Wednesday's win over the Mariners.

The rookie continued his ridiculous August by smacking his ninth homer and notching his 16th RBI of the month. Now the Bombers everyday catcher, Sanchez is hitting a scorching .389 through 72 at-bats over 19 games. Producing at this pace long-term is obviously unsustainable, but there's nothing wrong with riding the catcher while he's hot.

McCann is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Twins, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

McCann is riding a very modest three-game hitting streak, but he's still hitting just .212 on the season and will continue receiving fairly regular days off. Jarrod Saltalamacchia will take over behind the plate Wednesday and bat eighth.

Thole went 0-for-3 with an RBI, his seventh of the season, in Tuesday's win over the Angels.

Making his routine spot start behind the plate with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey on the hill, Thole's third straight hitless effort lowered his batting average to a measly .151 on the season. The left-hand hitting catcher's splits have been equally as disappointing, as Thole's hitting .156 in 32 at-bats against southpaws, and .149 in 74 at-bats versus righties.

Perez is out of the lineup for Tuesday's matchup against Oakland.

Chris Gimenez will start behind the plate and bat ninth for Tuesday's contest. For the season, Perez is hitting a bleak .096/.244/.137 and owns a 21 percent strikeout rate.

Sanchez homered twice and drove in three runs in 3-for-4 game in Monday's loss to Seattle.

Sanchez's white hot start to his career continues, as he now has eight home runs, 15 RBI and an absurd .384/.429/.831 batting line in his first 70 plate appearances. Even if Sanchez reverts to something like his numbers at Triple-A -- .282/.339/.468 with 10 home runs in 71 games -- he'll be among the better offensive options at catcher, so there shouldn't be anything stopping you from hopping on the Sanchez bandwagon at this point.

McCann's home run Saturday was his 10th of the season.

Just 15 catchers have hit double-digit home runs, but McCann's slash line of .211/.264/.356 makes him a one category wonder for fantasy purposes.

Gomes (shoulder) played catch at 100 feet and increased his hitting volume in the batting cage Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

This is a big step in the right direction for the Brazilian, as he is on track to return in early September. Gomes was struggling before suffering the separated AC joint with a .165 batting average in 262 plate appearances.