MLB Player News

Jeffers will start at catcher and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Giants.

Jeffers will step in behind the plate in place of top backstop Christian Vazquez, who is receiving some routine maintenance for the day game after a night game. Though Vazquez has maintained a lowly .565 OPS for the season, Jeffers has yet to gain any major momentum in displacing the former atop the depth chart. Despite carrying a .748 OPS into Wednesday's contest, Jeffers will be making just his fourth start in 10 games.

Vazquez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.

He'll be receiving some routine maintenance in the series finale after catching both of the past two days. Ryan Jeffers will spell Vazquez behind the plate Wednesday.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.

Grandal will get a breather for a day game Wednesday after he started behind the plate in each of the White Sox's previous three contests. Seby Zavala will form a battery with starting pitcher Michael Kopech in the series finale.

Garver (knee) went 2-for-4 with two doubles Tuesday in the first game of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock.

Garver served as Round Rock's designated hitter Tuesday and made four trips to the plate before being lifted in the ninth inning. Garver will get another turn at DH in his next rehab game for Round Rock before working behind the plate. If all goes well over the next few days, Garver could be ready to return from the 10-day injured list at some point next week.

Thaiss went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Red Sox.

Thaiss has now hit safely in three straight games, going 3-for-8 with two RBI in that span. The catcher extended the Angels' lead to 2-0 with his fifth-inning solo shot Tuesday. For the season, he's slashing .291/.374/.418 with two homers, 10 RBI, 14 runs scored and four doubles through 91 plate appearances.

Jansen went 3-for-6 with two doubles, a homer, three RBI and three runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Rays.

Jansen extended Toronto's lead to 3-0 with an RBI double off Taj Bradley in the fourth inning before capping a nine-run ninth with a two-run homer off catcher-turned-pitcher Christian Bethancourt. It's Jansen's third homer in his last seven games. The 28-year-old catcher is still slashing just .210/.277/.420 with six home runs and 26 RBI through 130 at-bats while splitting duties behind the plate with Alejandro Kirk.

Maldonado isn't starting Tuesday against the Brewers.

Maldonado went 2-for-3 with a home run and two runs scored against his former club Monday, earning himself a day off. Yainer Diaz will take over behind the plate Tuesday and bat seventh.

Perez went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Monday's 8-5 extra-inning loss to the Tigers.

Perez's blast tied the game at 3-3 in the first inning, though the scoring simmered down after that. While the catcher has gone yard twice in the last three games, he's hitting just .172 (5-for-29) over his last seven contests. He's still been one of the Royals' most productive hitters with 11 homers, 27 RBI, 24 runs scored, 11 doubles and a .279/.319/.535 slash line through 44 games this season.

Maldonado went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run scored Monday against the Brewers.

Maldonado took Corbin Burnes deep in the second inning to tally his third homer of the season. While he's not known for his bat, he does have at least one hit in 12 of his last 15 games, a span in which he's maintained a .319 average with five RBI and six runs scored. Maldonado's track record suggests that level of success at the plate will not continue, though he should continue to be a regular in the lineup thanks to his strong defense.

Garver (knee) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Garver will serve as the designated hitter the first two games, then the plan is to have him catch the third game. The planned length of Garver's rehab assignment isn't yet known.