MLB Player News

The Royals reinstated Perez from the 7-day concussion IL on Sunday.

Perez landed on the 7-day IL last Monday after taking a foul tip off his mask, but he will return after a minimum-length stay. He'll bat third and serve as Kansas City's designated hitter in his return Sunday while Logan Porter starts behind the dish. Tyler Cropley was optioned to Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move.

Heim went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in Saturday's 2-0 win over Seattle.

Heim extended his hit streak to four consecutive games with a run-producing single in the fourth inning. In addition to hits in four straight, Heim has driven in a run in all four. The catcher is 5-for-12 with two doubles, a home run, seven RBI and four runs scored during that stretch. Heim is up to 92 RBI over 123 games on the season.

Naylor (thumb) isn't in Cleveland's lineup Saturday versus Baltimore.

Naylor bruised his right thumb during Friday's game and had to make an early exit in the fifth inning. He'll remain out Saturday, allowing Cam Gallagher to start behind the plate and bat ninth.

Maldonado will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Royals.

Maldonado is hitting .189/.258/.343 on the season and has graded out five runs worse than any other catcher at framing pitches (per Statcast). Even with rookie backstop Yainer Diaz breaking out to the tune of a .286/.310/.551 slash line, Maldonado remains Houston's primary catcher, though his off day Saturday means he only has a 5-4 advantage in starts over the last nine games.

Kirk will hit the bench Saturday against the Rays.

Kirk augmented his time behind the plate last season with 49 starts at designated hitter, but his bat has dropped off this season to the point that he's been mostly stuck splitting time with Danny Jansen at catcher. He's been back in an expanded role in September with Jansen out with a broken finger, starting eight of the previous nine games, but it will be Tyler Heineman who starts Saturday.

Pinto isn't in the Rays' lineup Saturday against the Blue Jays, Steve Carney of StPeteNine.com reports.

After going 0-for-7 with three strikeouts across his last two games, Pinto will take a seat Saturday as Christian Bethancourt starts behind the plate and bats eighth.

Rogers is not in the lineup Saturday against the Athletics.

Rogers gets back-to-back days off after going 0-for-4 during Thursday's win over Oakland. Carson Kelly will start behind the dish in his place and will bat eighth.

Wong is not in the lineup Saturday against the White Sox.

Reese McGuire will start at catcher and bat ninth Saturday. Wong is 1-for-his-last-12 and the 27-year-old has also not reached base in the last three games.

O'Hoppe isn't in the Angels' lineup Saturday against the Twins, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

After belting a two-run homer during Friday's loss, O'Hoppe will get a day to rest while Chad Wallach starts behind the plate and bats eighth.

O'Hoppe went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's loss to Minnesota.

O'Hoppe brought the Angels to within three runs with his two-run shot to left field in the eighth inning, though the team's rally ultimately fell short. The long ball was the 12th of the season for the backstop, who missed nearly four months between late April and late August with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. O'Hoppe has struggled with a .189/.232/.443 slash line over 28 games since returning, though he's kept up the power with eight homers over that span.