MLB Player News

The White Sox optioned Perez to Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday.

Perez's first stint in the big leagues will come to an end with the White Sox bringing back Yasmani Grandal (knee) back from the injured list Wednesday to give the team another healthy catcher to pair with Seby Zavala. While Grandal was on the shelf for the past week and a half, Perez saw light action behind Zavala, appearing in two games while going 1-for-4 at the dish. Even if Grandal and Zavala both maintain health for the rest of the season, Perez could still be a candidate to join the big club as a third catcher at some point in September, when the active roster will expand from 26 to 28 men.

Zavala is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.

With Yasmani Grandal (knee) returning to action Wednesday and starting behind the plate following a minimum-length stay on the injured list, Zavala's reign as the White Sox's clear No. 1 catcher will come to an end. While Grandal's longer track record of success at the big-league level gives him a decent amount of leash, Zavala's superior production this season could be enough for him to stick around in a timeshare with Grandal. Zavala owns a .743 OPS over 170 plate appearances in 2022, a stark contrast to Grandal's .566 OPS over 290 plate appearances.

The White Sox reinstated Grandal (knee) from the 10-day injured list. He'll start at catcher and bat sixth Wednesday against the Royals.

Grandal looked to be in danger of missing extended action after he exited an Aug. 20 game against the Guardians with a left knee strain, but after an MRI revealed no major ligament or tendon damage, he ended up spending the minimum amount of time on the IL. He was productive over a recent three-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte, but the career-worst .566 OPS he posted for the White Sox prior to landing on the shelf could put Grandal at risk of settling into a timeshare at catcher with Seby Zavala over the final five weeks of the campaign.

Hedges isn't starting Wednesday against the Orioles.

Hedges has recorded hits in his last four games, going 5-for-12 with a double, two runs, a stolen base and a strikeout during that time. He'll get a breather while Luke Maile starts behind the dish and bats eighth.

Raleigh went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, an RBI sacrifice fly and a walk in a win over the Tigers on Tuesday.

Raleigh unleashed his 19th homer in the third inning to give the Mariners an early 2-0 lead, and his sac fly later in the six-run frame plated Ty France. The slugging backstop's productive effort snapped him out of a significant funk, one that had seen him go 0-for-16 over his prior six games while striking out at a 27.8 percent clip.

Perez went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run, a double and an RBI single in a 9-7 win over the White Sox on Tuesday.

Perez continued an excellent month of August and helped to power his team to victory over their division rivals with two extra-base hits. The home run he launched to right field was his 19th long ball of the season. Perez came into the month hitting only .209, but the veteran power-hitting catcher has raised his batting average to .241 over the course of August.

Heim isn't in the lineup Wednesday against Houston.

Heim is on the bench for the second time in the last three matchups after he went 0-for-16 with a run, two walks and a strikeout over his last five games. Meibrys Viloria is starting behind the dish and batting eighth.

Maldonado (hand) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

He'll take a seat for the second game in a row while he continues to manage a swollen right hand, which stems from being hit by a pitch in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Orioles. Christian Vazquez will get another turn behind the dish while Maldonado is day-to-day with the injury.

Murphy went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and five RBI in Tuesday's 10-6 win over the Nationals.

The backstop did most of his damage in the fifth inning, as he turned on a Steve Cishek slider with the bases loaded for his first career grand slam. Murphy snapped a brief 10-game homer drought with the performance, but he's mostly been red hot since the All-Star break, slashing .298/.404/.556 over his last 35 games with eight home runs and 22 RBI.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's victory over the Red Sox.

Sanchez padded Minnesota's lead Tuesday with a solo shot in the sixth inning, his 13th of the season. The home run was the catcher's second in his last four games. Unfortunately for Sanchez, he also struck out again and has now done so 10 times in his last 24 at-bats.