MLB Player News

The Royals are optimistic that catcher Salvador Perez will be cleared to return from a concussion Sunday, the first day he is eligible, the Kansas City Star reports.

"There’s a great chance that Salvy’s gonna come off (Sunday)," manager Ned Yost said Saturday. "Again, we don’t know, we’re keeping our fingers crossed, hoping that all the paperwork gets back."

Perez was diagnosed with a concussion after an Aug. 3 win over the Mets, and he was able to take batting practice and work out in catcher's gear Friday.

Royals catcher Salvador Perez is hopeful of being cleared of his concussion in time to be activated to start Sunday against Boston, the Kansas City Star reports. 

Perez has hit .278/.309/.382 with four home runs and 43 RBI in 335 at-bats.

Royals catcher Salvador Perez was cleared for further physical activity Friday, after he was limited to cardio exercises Friday. According to The Kansas City Star, Perez could be activated from the concussion disabled list when he is eligible Sunday, but it is still not assured. 

Royals catcher Salvador Perez is feeling fine as he continues to make progress in his recovery from a concussion, MLB.com reports. Perez worked out on a bike for 15 minutes Wednesday before jogging and undergoing physical testing Thursday.

"I did my bike workout yesterday and felt great," Perez told MLB.com Thursday. "I felt nothing in my head. I still feel better every day."

Despite his progress, Perez may not be activated from the seven-day disabled list Sunday when first eligible.

"Sal is an extremely valuable component to our team, and we can't take any chances of anything like that," manager Ned Yost told MLB.com. "We need to make sure we do it right. Of course, like anything it's a healing process and it was a very slight concussion so the healing process is going to be much faster and we are still hoping to stay in the seven-day realm."

Perez has hit .278/.309/.382 with four home runs and 43 RBI in 335 at-bats.

Indians catcher Yan Gomes, currently hitting .302 with eight home runs and two steals over just 162 at-bats, should be one of the main beneficiaries of Mark Reynolds' DFA. 

Gomes' main drawback this season has been a a lack of playing time, but Reynolds' departure should open up time at first base, DH, or catcher (with Carlos Santana seeing more time at first/DH) for the 26-year-old Brazilian. 

Owned in 14 percent of leagues, Gomes can be added in two-catcher formats just on the hope that he sees the bulk of at-bats. In shallower formats, he's probably going to have Ryan Doumit-ish value -- his offensive upside has to be coupled with the risk of Ryan Raburn or Jason Giambi getting some of those suddenly-available at bats.

Gomes may see his value rise with playing time, but he's definitely worth an add in deeper leagues right now based on the prospect of significant at-bats the rest of the season. 

Toronto catcher Josh Thole drove in two runs Wednesday afternoon in Seattle. It wasn't enough in the 9-7 defeat.

Thole went 2 for 5 in the game with his second double of the year for the Blue Jays. His ground-rule double in the second inning scored both runs.

The 26-year-old backstop had gone 1 for 22 in his previous nine games before notching the two hits Wednesday. He's still batting just .121 on the season over 66 at-bats.

Royals catcher Salvador Perez (concussion) has been cleared to participate in a very light workout, the Kansas City Star reports Wednesday. Perez will get on the exercise bike for 15 minutes. 

The catcher will attempt to catch a bullpen Friday while wearing a hockey-style mask. That said, that schedule is very tentative at this time. 

Perez woke up Tuesday without a headache for the first time since suffering his concussion. The catcher for the Royals was batting .278 before suffering his injury. He has four home runs and 43 RBI. 

Royals injured catcher Salvador Perez, who has been placed on the 7-day disabled list for concussions, told club officials Tuesday that he awoke for the first time without any headaches, the Kansas City Star reports. 

Perez had been diagnosed with a "low grade" concussion. He is hoping to return when first eligible for the Royals. 

The backstop for the Royals was batting .278 before getting hurt with four homers and 43 RBI over 335 at-bats. 

Indians catcher Yan Gomes is currently hitting .310 with seven home runs and nine doubles over just 155 at-bats. The 26-year-old, acquired in the Esmil Rogers deal over the winter, has been even better lately, hitting .385 with a .980 OPS since July 1.

The main problem with Gomes is his playing time -- a .385 average over 12 games is nice, but Gomes hit just one home run in that span, with five runs scored. Still, as a second catcher in a 12-team Roto league, Gomes isn't hurting a team. And with these great numbers in part-time play, Gomes has proven his worth as someone who can handle several positions (first base, catcher, DH, and even left field and third base) in case someone gets injured. The bonus if that happens would be Gomes retianing his catcher eligibility for Fantasy purposes. 

Gomes makes for a nice, cheap keeper acquisition in deeper leagues right now (he's already earned catcher eligibility for 2014), and has some value in deeper leagues for the rest of 2013 as a second catcher. With the Indians making a postseason push, we may see Gomes spell Carlos Santana behind the plate as we get deeper into the season. 

FOX Sports reports among the players accepting 50-game suspensions for their connection to the Biogenesis investigation are Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz, Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta, Phillies reliever Antonio Bastardo, Mets infielder Jordany Valdespin , Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera, Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli, Mariners catcher Jesus Montero, Mets outfielder Cesar Puello, Astros reliever Sergio Escalona, Padres reliever Fautino De Los Santos, Yankees outfielder Fernando Martinez and free-agent pitcher Jordan Norberto.

The report also states Athletics starting pitcher Bartolo Colon, Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal and Blue Jays outfielder Melky Cabrera will be dealt no additional discipline. Also, no violations were found against Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez and Orioles infielder Danny Valencia.