MLB Player News

Perez hit his fifth homer of the season -- a three-run shot -- in the first inning of Wednesday's 7-3 victory over the Yankees.

The catcher is struggling with a .234 batting average, but the five home runs and 18 RBI are nice. He was struggling earlier, but now has a four-game hit streak after going 1-16 in the last five games. The Royals are not afraid to use Perez, so he'll get plenty of chances to produce this season.

Vazquez is batting eighth and starting behind the plate Wednesday against the A's, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

Coming off Tommy John surgery, Vazquez continues to get regularly scheduled days off. Vazquez's bat still hasn't come around, as he's hitting just .208 with one home run, but is the preferred option over Ryan Hanigan due to his defensive prowess.

Stassi will start at catcher and bat eighth in Wednesday's series finale against Cleveland.

Recalled to the majors Tuesday, Stassi will get his first start behind the plate for the Astros this season. Erik Kratz will take a seat on the bench while starter Jason Castro (paternity) remains away from the team.

Perez is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Cardinals.

Perez has been rotating behind the plate with Geovany Soto, and the trend will continue again Tuesday. Perez is hitting just .159 on the season, so if the struggles continue, Soto could be in line to take over more regular starts.

Gomes is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Astros.

Gomes had started the last four games, but an 0-for-12 showing in that time dropped his season average down to a measly .170. Chris Gimenez will draw the start behind the plate in his place and bat ninth against Chris Devenski.

Stassi was recalled to the majors Tuesday.

Jason Castro was placed on the paternity list earlier in the day, so Stassi will come up to serve as catching depth. He's just 2-for-14 at the Triple-A thus far this year, so he'll likely serve as Erik Kratz's backup while Castro is away.

Vazquez is out of Tuesday's lineup against the A's, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.

Boston continues to give their young catcher regular days off, as Vazquez will head to the bench for the third time in six games. Ryan Hanigan will do the catching and hit eighth against southpaw Sean Manaea.

Maile is 10-for-48 (.208) with four RBI and three runs scored through 13 games with Triple-A Durham this season.

Maile missed the last half of April with a hamstring injury, but he returned to action May 1 and has played nearly every day since. He is not hitting much but would garner consideration along with Carlos Corporan if the Rays needed to call up a catcher.

Despite his struggles, Thole is unlikely to be demoted as long as R.A. Dickey remains on the roster, Baseball Prospectus reports.

Many in Toronto's fanbase have called for an upgrade at the backup spot to Russell Martin. But even with Dickey having had his typically putrid April, the knuckleballer is unlikely to go anywhere -- meaning Thole isn't going anywhere either. The 29-year-old should be deployed merely as a punt-play when Dickey is on the hill.

Pentecost (shoulder) is currently playing in extended spring training games and is moving toward activation from the disabled list, Sportsnet reports.

Pentecost, highly regarded for both his bat and defense, looked set to zip through the Blue Jays system before his injury woes hit. Despite having a third shoulder surgery, the organization still believe the 11th overall pick in 2014 has a promising future behind the plate. Pentecost could see some time at first base or designated hitter for a period of time in order to protect his shoulder. "The hope is that he'll be able to get full season at-bats pretty soon," says Blue Jays director of player development Gil Kim. "The main goal is that he gets at-bats since he has had so much time off. For now, it's getting at-bats and building that throwing back up better than it used to be."