MLB Player News

Perez (knee/elbow) is scheduled to DH on Wednesday and play catch on Friday, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

This will be his first action back since hyperextending his left knee during a World Baseball Classic game, though the 26-year-old will only be able slot in as the DH due to an elbow injury he's also dealing with. Neither of the injuries is thought to be serious, though, so Perez still expects to be ready for Opening Day.

Leon is hitting just .188 (3-for-16) over seven games, but that's not a concern of manager John Farrell and the catcher remains Boston's presumptive Opening Day starter, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports. "We've been in a situation where we have rotated three guys in a starting role, so guys have been getting two at-bats every third day," Farrell said. "The offensive evaluation can be a little unfair."

The eye test isn't good for Leon, who has struck out or grounded out in 11 of his 16 spring at-bats. With this coming after a serious September fade in 2016, fantasy owners should treat Leon with circumspection. Red Sox hitting coach Victor Rodriguez echoes Farrell's comments about getting regular at-bats and added that Leon tired toward the end of 2016 under what had been career-high usage. He and Christian Vazquez project to start the season in Boston, but that duo is a potential cipher offensively. The Red Sox may eventually call up a better offensive weapon like Blake Swihart.

Stubbs (shoulder) entered Sunday's game against the Yankees in the seventh inning and caught the rest of the game.

Stubbs developed a shoulder issue early in camp and hadn't gotten into any games until Sunday. His defense is top-notch, particularly in the area of controlling the running game. Developing a competent bat will be a focus over the next 12 months.

Heineman has been sent back to minor league camp, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports.

Heineman saw just 11 at-bats this spring, only one of which resulted in a base knock. With several veteran options behind the plate in Houston, it's not too surprising to see the 25-year-old once again fail to break camp. He appears destined for another year at Triple-A, where he slashed .259/.344/.351 over 271 at-bats in 2016.

Garver was optioned to Triple-A Rochester.

Garver was nominally in the backup catcher competition this spring. With Garver in the minors, Chris Gimenez and John Ryan Murphy will compete to be Jason Castro's backup. Garver was just 3-for-13 this spring, but hit 12 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A last year. He could be called up as a backup at some point this summer.

Gallagher was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Friday, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports Radio reports.

The 24-year-old hit to the tune of a .259/.348/.359 season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2016 and gets his first taste of the highest farm level. Gallagher will aim to work his way into a major league role if the need for help behind the plate arises this year.

Mejia was optioned to Double-A Akron on Wednesday.

The Indians' top prospect put on a show in major league camp, recently bashing a grand slam against Kansas City on Saturday, but it comes as little surprise that he'll head back to the minor leagues. Even with the return to the minors, Mejia's upside is undeniable given his performance between Low- and High-A last season. The 21-year-old backstopper accumulated 139 hits in 407 at-bats between the two levels and even assembled a whopping 50-game hit streak at one point, and although he'll likely spend most -- if not all -- of the 2017 campaign in Akron, Mejia is bound to appear in Cleveland relatively soon as long as he continues to rake in the minors.

According to manager Ned Yost, Perez (knee/elbow) also hyperextended his left elbow a bit in the collision that removed him from WBC play, which could keep him out for a week, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

The Royals don't seem overly concerned with the backstopper's knee anymore, and it seems like this elbow issue will ultimately cost him more time than the knee injury. Either way, Perez is still projected to be back to full health relatively quickly and expects to be completely ready for Opening Day.

Perez's second MRI was returned negative, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Perez was said to be in good spirits Wednesday, having avoided a serious injury as a result of a collision in Saturday's WBC game. The initial MRI showed inflammation in the knee but no structural damage, and the follow-up test confirmed that diagnosis. While Perez is uncertain when exactly he may return to games, he is confident he will be good to go for the start of the regular season.

Perez (knee) is going for a second MRI on Tuesday, MLB.com's Jeffrey Flanagan reports.

His MRI on Sunday showed no damage beyond inflammation, but either the Royals or the player were unsatisfied with the results, so he will go for a second test Tuesday. This suggests the knee issue is more than just a day-to-day ailment, but we won't know how much longer he will be sidelined until after the results are released.