MLB Player News

McCann went 1-for-3 with a walk and a grand slam in Sunday's win over the Astros.

His first-inning blast set the tone for what ended up being an 11-0 rout. McCann now has eight home runs on the season, a new career high, but his lackluster .204/.254/.345 slash line leaves him stuck in a time share behind the plate with Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Leon is out of the lineup Sunday against the Angels, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.

Leon will sit out for the second time in the four-game series, giving way to Ryan Hanigan behind the plate. The backstop doesn't appear to be conceding ground as the Red Sox's primary catching option, as he's built off his June success with a .297/.333/.541 batting line across 40 plate appearances since the All-Star break.

Perez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Rangers, MLB.com reports.

Perez just got over an illness, so manager Ned Yost is likely just extending the veteran a rest during Sunday's series finale as a means of aiding his recovery. Drew Butera will serve as the Royals' catcher for the afternoon.

Maile will start at catcher and bat ninth in the order Sunday against the Yankees, MLB.com's Bill Chastain reports.

The last-place Rays have used the second half of the season to give Maile his first extended chance at regular at-bats in the majors, as he'll be making his fifth start behind the plate in six games. The early returns haven't been overly promising -- Maile is slashing just .194/.242/.258 across 34 plate appearances since his July 15 promotion to the big leagues -- but because former No. 1 catcher Curt Casali hadn't failed much better in a much larger sample of at-bats earlier this season, Maile will now get an opportunity to showcase his skills. He should remain off the radar outside of AL-only leagues until he begins to experience more success at the plate.

Casali is out of the lineup Sunday against the Yankees, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

With only three starts under his belt since the All-Star break, it appears Casali has officially been passed up by Luke Maile on the catching depth chart. Maile is only sitting on a .194/.242/.258 batting line over 34 plate appearances, but the Rays appear inclined to give him an extended trial at the starting role after Casali failed to provide noticeably better production in a much larger sample of at-bats earlier this season.

Leon is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Angels, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.

Leon, who's hitting a stellar .386/.432/.625 over 29 games this season, will have the night off as Ryan Hanigan starts behind the plate for Boston. Leon has been used as Boston's go-to catcher as of late, so he'll likely return to the lineup for Saturday's contest.

Perez (illness) is back in the lineup against the Rangers on Friday, Joel Goldberg of FSKC reports.

Perez was scratched from the lineup Wednesday as he went down with the flu, but will be back behind the plate for Friday's contest. He will be catching Edinson Volquez and batting sixth.

Perez (illness) was a late scratch for Thursday's game against the Rangers, FSKC's Joel Goldberg reports.

Perez was taken out of the lineup with an illness as Drew Butera takes over behind the plate. Butera will now bat eighth in the order, with Paulo Orlando sliding up to the fifth spot. Perez will likely be back in the lineup Friday, but will be considered day-to-day for now.

Leon is expected to start the next couple of games as Ryan Hanigan still needs time to recover from flu-like symptoms, Julian Benbow of the Boston Globe reports.

Hanigan has missed the last two games and now will travel out west with the team to begin an 11-game road trip in Anaheim on Thursday. Leon will start until Hanigan, who is available in an emergency, is ready to play a full game.

Perez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals, according to Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Perez started the last three games behind the plate, but he will be held out Wednesday with the Indians playing a day game following a night game. Chris Gimenez will serve as the Indians' catcher in Perez's place.