MLB Player News

Vazquez (illness) was activated from the COVID-19 injured list Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Vazquez was placed on the COVID-19 IL on Tuesday but will quickly rejoin Boston's active roster. He'll remain out of the lineup Wednesday with Connor Wong starting behind the plate for the Red Sox.

Hedges is out of the lineup for Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the White Sox.

Hedges went 1-for-4 with a run scored during the matinee, and it's not a surprise he won't be starting both games of the twin bill. Bryan Lavastida will work behind the plate and bat ninth in the nightcap.

Maldonado isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Angels.

Maldonado will get a breather after he went 0-for-6 with a run, an RBI, a walk and a strikeout in his last two appearances. Jason Castro will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Wong went 0-for-2 with a sacrifice fly and an RBI in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Blue Jays.

Wong, who stepped in as the starting catcher after both Christian Vazquez and Kevin Plawecki were added to the COVID-19 injury list, produced the game-winning run with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly. He has familiarity with the staff, catching during spring training games and bullpen sessions, so Red Sox manager Alex Cora was confident in the young backstop. All three of his starts in 2021 saw him serve as a battery mate for Nathan Eovaldi, who was also Tuesday's starter. Wong also guided four relievers through 4.1 scoreless innings against a potent Toronto lineup, and he'll remain the primary catcher until Vazquez and/or Plawecki can return to the club.

Bethancourt went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run and a stolen base in Tuesday's 2-1 win against the Orioles.

Bethancourt singled and stole second in the second inning, singled and scored in the sixth and walked in the eighth to record his best all-around game of the season. The 30-year-old has appeared in all five games since being promoted from Triple-A and is seeing his first big-league action since 2017. He's responded by going 4-for-16, with all four hits coming in two of those games.

Perez (eye) went 2-for-3 with two solo homers and a walk Tuesday in the Royals' 4-3 win over the Twins.

Perez homered in the fourth off starter Chris Archer and in the sixth off reliever Tyler Duffey. After going hitless in his first three games, the seven-time All-Star has four multi-hit games and two multi-homer games in his last six, slashing .348/.400/.913 in that span. He served as the designated hitter Tuesday for the second time this season while he's dealing with an eye issue that has limited his ability to catch.

Collins went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the Blue Jays' loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday.

Collins stayed hot in this one, launching a solo shot off Nathan Eovaldi in top of the second inning before adding a single in the eighth frame. With Teoscar Hernandez (oblique) on the shelf, the 27-year-old Collins has started four straight games, producing an impressive eight hits in 15 at-bats including two homers and four extra-base hits overall.

Perez shifted from catcher to designated hitter in the Royals' updated lineup for Tuesday's game against the Twins due to an eye issue, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The issue is one that Perez dealt with in both of the last two seasons. It seems on the surface quite surprising that he'd be able to hit despite vision issues, but he's been cleared by a specialist and the Royals are evidently confident that he'll be fine. It's possible the vision issue explains his slow start at the plate, as he's hit .188/.212/.406 through eight games.

Stassi will sit Tuesday against Houston, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Stassi has hit .250/.357/.542 with a pair of homers through seven games, though his 35.7 percent strikeout rate is a potential worry. He'll get a rest Tuesday as Kurt Suzuki takes over behind the plate.

Mejia is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cubs, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Mejia and Mike Zunino have alternated starts to this point this season, but Zunino will receive the nod for the second straight game Tuesday. Mejia is 6-for-20 with a home run, seven RBI and three runs this year.