MLB Player News

Cleveland activated Hedges (concussion) from the 7-day injured list Thursday. He'll start at catcher and bat ninth in Cleveland's series opener in Minnesota.

Hedges spent the minimum amount of time on the IL after he sustained the head injury last week and entered the concussion protocol. With Hedges having received full medical clearance, he should step back in as Cleveland's No. 1 catcher while the team awaits Roberto Perez's (finger) return from the 60-day IL. Cleveland designated backstop Ryan Lavarnway for assignment to clear room on the active roster for Hedges.

Rogers is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Rogers had caught each of the Tigers' last four games, so he'll just be getting a breather in the series opener. Eric Haase steps in behind the plate, forming a battery with starting pitcher Jose Urena.

Murphy isn't starting Thursday's game against the Rangers.

Murphy is in the midst of a 10-game on-base streak, and he's gone 5-for-11 with two home runs, two doubles, four runs, four RBI and two walks across the last three contests. Aramis Garcia will take over behind the plate and bat ninth.

Perez (head) will be the designated hitter Thursday against the Yankees.

Perez left Wednesday's game after getting hit in the mask by a pitch. The Royals said after the game that they didn't believe Perez had a concussion, and it appears that optimism is correct, though he'll at least get to move out from behind the plate for the day.

Sanchez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in a 6-5 win over the Royals on Wednesday.

Sanchez managed only a walk through four plate appearances, but he came through when his club most needed him, socking a solo shot to left field with one out in the ninth inning to tie the game 5-5. The homer was the continuation of a strong June for the veteran catcher -- across 17 games this month, Sanchez is slashing .305/.369/.712 with six home runs, six doubles and 13 RBI.

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in a 5-3 loss to Texas on Wednesday.

Murphy got Oakland on the board with a 443-foot homer to center in the seventh, his second in three games, and doubled earlier in the fourth. The backstop has enjoyed his three games in Texas as he's 5-for-11 with two home runs and two doubles and has raised his OPS from .728 to .782 in the span. The A's have one more game against the Rangers before moving on to play the Giants this weekend.

The Royals' training staff described the night-shortening incident for Perez (head) on Wednesday as a "non-concussive event," Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Perez went 1-for-2 with a double and a run before taking a foul ball to the facemask and exiting Wednesday's game in New York. The training staff elaborated that his chin absorbed most of the impact. Assuming Perez did avoid a concussion, he should avoid a trip to the injured list, but it remains unclear when he'll be back in the Royals' lineup.

Perez (undisclosed) was removed from Wednesday's game against the Yankees after getting hit in the mask with a pitch, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Sebastian Rivero entered the game to catch in Perez's place. Details about Perez's condition and whether he'll be available Thursday should become available following the game.

Mejia went 2-for-3 with an RBI single in a loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday.

Mejia snapped an 0-for-8 skid that had encompassed his last three games with Tuesday's production, which pushed his season average back up to .246. The reserve backstop has been a reasonably effective performer in clutch situations, posting a serviceable .259/.323/.444 slash line over 32 plate appearances with runners in scoring position.

Jansen (hamstring) wasn't running at 100 percent recently, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The Blue Jays were optimistic last week that Jansen was close to returning from the injured list, but he's still having some issues running at full speed. The catcher is slated to run the bases in Buffalo on Thursday, and the team could have a better idea of his status based on his intensity.