MLB Player News
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Connor Wong C | BOS
Red Sox's Connor Wong: Slugs second homer
Wong went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's 10-7 extra-innings loss to the Guardians.
The 27-year-old has ceded more work than expected to Reese McGuire early in the season, but the arrangement seems to be working for both backstops. Through 10 games, Wong is batting a blistering .355 (11-for-31) with a double, two homers, three runs and seven RBI, and his share of the playing time could be creeping back up as he's started three of the last five games, with Tuesday's start coming against right-hander Tanner Bibee.
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Kyle McCann C | COL
Athletics' Kyle McCann: Swats first career home run
McCann went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and two RBI in Tuesday's loss to the Cardinals.
McCann plated the only two runs of the evening for the Athletics. He gave them an early lead with an RBI single in the second and then put them back in front in the fifth with a blast to right against Lance Lynn. McCann has appeared in just five games so far this season as the team's backup catcher and all three of his hits have come in his last six at-bats.
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Salvador Perez C | KC
Royals' Salvador Perez: Out of Tuesday's lineup
Perez (groin) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's contest versus the White Sox.
Perez will miss a second straight start after being diagnosed with a Grade 1 left groin strain. He intends to attempt to play through the injury, but with an afternoon game Wednesday representing the Royals' final game of their road trip, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Perez at least held out until Friday following Thursday's off day. Freddy Fermin will catch Tuesday.
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Alejandro Kirk C | TOR
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Likely to lose work to Jansen
Kirk is expected to move to the bench for Tuesday's game against the Yankees and will likely lose out on starts to Danny Jansen (wrist), who was reinstated from the injured list Monday, ESPN.com reports.
Between wins over the Rockies on Sunday and Yankees on Monday, Kirk reached base seven times, but he's still put together an underwhelming .200/.293/.220 slash line through 58 plate appearances while operating as the Blue Jays' primary backstop so far this season. Though Jansen remained on the bench Monday, he's on track to make his season debut Tuesday and looks poised to handle the larger portion of a timeshare behind the plate with Kirk. Jansen is the more polished defender of the two, and though Kirk has an All-Star appearance and Silver Slugger on his resume, he's been a slightly below league-average hitter since the start of the 2023 season (91 wRC+, .301 wOBA over 480 plate appearances).
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Danny Jansen C | TEX
Blue Jays' Danny Jansen: Likely to debut Tuesday
Jansen (wrist) is expected to join the Toronto lineup and make his season debut in Tuesday's game against the Yankees, ESPN.com reports.
After missing the first two and a half weeks of the season while recovering from a fractured right wrist suffered in a March 13 spring training game, Jansen was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Monday. He didn't play in Monday's series-opening 3-1 victory, however, as Alejandro Kirk drew the nod behind the plate and went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Though Kirk has now reached base seven times over the Blue Jays' last two games, he's still slashing an ugly .200/.293/.220 through 58 plate appearances. Given that he's regarded as the superior defender of the two catchers and in light of Kirk's struggles at the dish, Jansen is expected to emerge as the Blue Jays' No. 1 backstop now that he's healthy.
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Jonah Heim C | ATL
Rangers' Jonah Heim: Taking seat Tuesday
Heim is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's contest in Detroit.
He will sit out the afternoon tilt while Andrew Knizner does the catching for Jon Gray. Heim is sporting a .719 OPS with two home runs and 11 RBI in his first 15 games this season.
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Jonah Heim C | ATL
Rangers' Jonah Heim: Logs steal, scores in win
Heim went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 1-0 win over the Tigers.
Heim doubled and scored the game's only run in the fifth inning and has hit safely in four consecutive games. The steal, which is not a big part of his game, was his first of the season. Heim has a career seven stolen bases over 368 MLB games.
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Salvador Perez C | KC
Royals' Salvador Perez: Dealing with groin strain
Perez said Monday that an MRI revealed a Grade 1 groin strain, and he hopes to play Tuesday against the White Sox, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.
Perez will sit out after being pulled from Sunday's game. He noted that he's experiencing no pain in the area, and he attempted to lobby Royals manager Matt Quatraro to play Monday. Perez has started the season strong, slashing .339/.369/.565 with four home runs and 15 RBI over 65 plate appearances.
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Max Stassi C | SF
White Sox's Max Stassi: Moved to 60-day IL
Stassi (hip) was transferred to the 60-day injured list by the White Sox on Monday.
The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for Nick Nastrini. Stassi recently had a setback in his recovery from a hip injury when he was hit in the hand by a backswing while on a rehab assignment. He now won't be eligible to return until late May.
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Salvador Perez C | KC
Royals' Salvador Perez: Sitting out Monday's game
Perez (groin/hip) is not in the lineup for Monday's contest versus the White Sox, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Perez departed Sunday's game against the Mets with left groin and hip injuries. Catcher Logan Porter has joined the Royals in Chicago as part of the taxi squad, per Rogers, in case Perez's injury winds up being more of a day-to-day situation. The Royals are expected to provide more clarity on Perez later Monday. Freddy Fermin is getting the start at catcher against the White Sox.