MLB Player News

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Haase (abdomen) is "doing quite well" and is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday at Triple-A Toledo, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

The Tigers plan to have Haase catch Tigers starter Matthew Boyd (triceps) on Tuesday in the first of what's expected to be two or three rehab games for Detroit's top backstop. Haase looks on track to make his return from the 10-day injured list when Detroit begins its homestand Friday with a three-game series versus the Blue Jays.

Jansen (hamstring) is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Jansen hasn't progressed as quickly as expected from the right hamstring strain he sustained July 21, but just over a month later, he's finally reached the final phase of his recovery program. Neither Reese McGuire nor Alejandro Kirk has ran away with the No. 1 catching job while Jansen has been out, but that doesn't mean that the 26-year-old will have a clear path to the top gig once he returns. Though Jansen is valued for his defense, his 62 wRC+ on the season places him 49th among the 58 catchers who have logged at least 100 plate appearances.

Mejia went 2-for-4 with a three-run double in Sunday's 9-0 win over the White Sox.

Mejia drilled a clutch three-run double in the sixth inning to give the Rays a huge 6-0 lead. It was just his third extra-base hit this month and his first RBI since Aug. 10. He's sporting a .752 OPS with 28 RBI through 218 plate appearances.

Manager Tony La Russa said Grandal (knee) won't return from the 10-day injured list during the White Sox's upcoming four-game series in Toronto that concludes Thursday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

La Russa stressed that Grandal hasn't suffered a setback in his recovery from the left knee surgery he required in early July; the White Sox simply aren't keen on rushing him back early while he rebuilds strength in the knee. Grandal will likely remain on assignment at Triple-A Charlotte through at least the end of the week before the White Sox re-evaluate him for a potential activation. Through his first seven rehab games between Charlotte and Double-A Binghamton, Grandal has gone 9-for-20 with a home run and three RBI.

Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Yan Gomes will step in for Murphy, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Saturday's 6-5 loss. Murphy has seen a lighter share of the catching duties since Gomes was acquired ahead of the trade deadline, but the former still appears to be Oakland's No. 1 backstop.

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a run in a loss to the Giants on Saturday.

Murphy has been on a solid run at the plate through most of August, as Saturday's production brought his slash line over the last nine games to .286/.394/.536 with four doubles, a home run, seven RBI, five walks and five runs. The young backstop's .225 season average does have plenty of room for improvement, but his .321 on-base percentage and .423 slugging percentage are both serviceable enough.

Raleigh is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

Tom Murphy will be behind the plate for the series finale after Raleigh caught five of the Mariners' previous six games. Despite the run of steady playing time, Raleigh has yet to carry over much of his offensive success from Triple-A Tacoma over to the majors. Through his first 86 MLB plate appearances, Raleigh is hitting .177 with six extra-base hits (one home run, five doubles) and 30 strikeouts (34.9 percent rate).

Zavala is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

Zavala, who went 1-for-3 with a solo home run -- his fifth of the season -- in Saturday's 8-4 loss, will receive a routine maintenance day in the series finale. Zack Collins will catch for starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez.

McGuire is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.

With three starts in the Blue Jays' previous four games, McGuire still appears to hold an edge over Alejandro Kirk as the team's No. 1 catcher. He'll be rested for Sunday's matinee game, however, paving the way for Kirk to form a battery with starting pitcher Steven Matz.

Perez (neck/head) will start at catcher and bat third Sunday against the Cubs.

Perez exited Friday's 6-2 win in the series opener with posterior neck soreness, but a headache was attributed to him being scratched from the lineup ahead of Saturday's 4-2 victory. The one-day respite appears to have provided enough time for Perez to recover from both issues, as he'll be back behind the plate for the series finale. With a .275 average, 32 home runs, 80 RBI, 57 runs and a stolen base across 492 plate appearances this season, Perez has been the most valuable catcher in the vast majority of fantasy formats.