MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Higashioka (illness) could be ready to rejoin the team and return to action early next week for New York's series in Tampa Bay, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Both Aaron Judge and Higashioka appear to be on similar timelines to return from the COVID-19 injured list after the two were deactivated when they tested positive for the virus coming out of the All-Star break. Once reinstated from the IL, Higashioka will settle in as the No. 2 catcher behind Gary Sanchez.

Manager Aaron Boone said Sanchez is being held out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox after getting "dinged up" in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Phillies, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Boone noted that Sanchez is available to pinch hit and is on track to catch Gerrit Cole in Friday's contest, so the backstop looks to be receiving more of a maintenance day than anything. Even so, fantasy players will want to confirm Sanchez is starting Friday before deploying him in DFS contests or leagues with daily lineup moves.

Sanchez is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox.

Rob Brantly will form a battery with starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery while Sanchez gets a breather in the series opener. Through 12 games in July, Sanchez has gone 6-for-44 (.136 average) with three home runs, eight runs and seven RBI.

Perez is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays.

Austin Hedges will handle catching duties in the series opener while Perez rests. Since returning to action earlier this month after an extended stay on the injured list while he recovered from surgery to repair a fractured finger, Perez is hitting .206 with three home runs, six RBI and four runs in 10 games.

Garver was placed on the paternity list Thursday, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.

Garver was out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox, and he'll now be unavailable for several days while he awaits the birth of his son. It's not yet clear when the 30-year-old will rejoin the Twins, but Ryan Jeffers and Ben Rortvedt should handle the catching duties in his absence.

The Twins recalled Rortvedt from Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.

He'll return to the big club three days after being demoted to Triple-A due to No. 1 catcher Mitch Garver (personal) landing on the paternity list. Garver is expected to be inactive for only 1-to-3 days, so Rortvedt should be headed back to St. Paul in short order.

Mejia went 2-for-4 with two runs in a win over the Orioles on Wednesday.

The reserve backstop drew another start for Mike Zunino (hip) and once again came through at the plate. Mejia has now hit safely in four straight games (three starts), quickly pushing his average and OPS up by 20 and 62 points, respectively.

Perez went 1-for-5 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 6-3 win over Milwaukee.

The stolen base was Perez's first of the year, and he's never had more than one in a season. The 31-year-old has been solid since the All-Star break, going 6-for-19 (.316) with three RBI and a run scored in his last five games. Whether behind the dish or at designated hitter, Perez should continue to have an everyday role in the lineup.

Rogers (forearm) will need longer to recover than previously expected and will be shut down from baseball activities for the foreseeable future, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Rogers hit the injured list Monday with a pronator teres strain in his right forearm. Initial reports indicated he'd be out 2-to-3 weeks, but that timeline was apparently too optimistic. The Tigers do still hope he can return by the end of the season, but there's a chance his campaign is already done.

Rutschman went 3-for-5 with two homers, a double, a walk and seven RBI in Double-A Bowie's 20-7 win against Hartford on Wednesday.

He'd been in a bit of a slump, having hit .154 with no homers over his past seven games, but Rutschman got right in this one, albeit against a couple pitchers who are nothing more than organizational depth. His overall line of .275/.399/.504 is excellent, and it'd be even better if not for some unfortunate BABIP luck. With a 46:46 BB:K, Rutschman has controlled the strike zone as impressively as any prospect in the minors, and a promotion to Triple-A could be in the offing soon as he continues climbing the organizational ladder toward Baltimore.