MLB Player News

Perez went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and two strikeouts in Sunday's 6-3 win over the Reds.

Perez was on the bench in two of the last three games, but he smacked his third home run of the season in the fourth inning of Sunday's series finale against Cincinnati. The catcher is now slashing .194/.375/.484 with eight RBI and six runs this season.

Perez went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's win over the Blue Jays.

Perez slugged a walkoff home run Saturday during Game 2 of the doubleheader against Toronto, and he accounted for all the offense Sunday with a two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh. The veteran catcher is enjoying a strong start to the season and is hitting .291 with a .957 OPS while going deep in three of his last five contests and tallying five RBI in that stretch.

Murphy went 1-for-2 with a solo homer and a walk in Sunday's 3-2 win over Detroit.

Murphy's eighth-inning blast tied the game up at 2-2. After starting the year 1-for-18, the 26-year-old is 4-for-13 with four extra-base hits over his last four games.

Stassi (thumb) hasn't resumed any catching workouts since landing on the 10-day injured list April 13, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Stassi is eligible to return from the IL on Friday, but based on where he currently stands in his recovery, he looks like he'll need a little more time to heal up from his injury. Kurt Suzuki is expected to serve as the Angels' primary catcher for the duration of Stassi's absence.

Grandal is out of the lineup for the second game of Sunday's doubleheader with the Red Sox.

Manager Tony La Russa will give Grandal some maintenance for the second game after the 32-year-old caught all seven innings while going 1-for-3 with an RBI double in Chicago's 3-2 win in Game 1. Zack Collins gets the start behind the plate in Game 2, while Yermin Mercedes serves as Chicago's designated hitter.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Sunday that Maldonado (COVID-19 injured list) has been cleared to resume individual workouts, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Maldonado and the other four Astros placed on the COVID-19 IL on Wednesday all appear to have finished their respective quarantine periods, but Baker didn't specify when any of the players might be ready to rejoin the team. Since Baker previously mentioned that the five players in question are unlikely to be available for the team's ongoing road trip, Maldonado's earliest possible return date would most likely be Thursday, when the Astros host the Angels.

Jansen is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Kansas City.

The 26-year-old continues to split time with Alejandro Kirk to open the season, and Kirk will receive the starting nod Sunday. Jansen is 2-for-28 with nine strikeouts through 11 games.

Vazquez is out of the lineup for Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader against the White Sox, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

The 30-year-old finds himself on the bench for the second straight game as he is 0-for-10 in his past three appearances, leaving Kevin Plawecki to receive another start. Vazquez should return to the lineup for Game 2 later Sunday.

Collins went 0-for-4 in Saturday's 7-4 loss to the Red Sox.

Collins showed some promise early in the season, but he's mired in an 0-for-13 hitless streak that has dropped his batting average to .143. The White Sox are pleased with the developments he's made defensively behind the plate, but that could come at the expense of his offense.

Mejia went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and an additional RBI during Saturday's 6-3 win over the Yankees.

The 25-year-old struggled to find his footing in the majors since making his debut with Cleveland in 2017, but he's off to a strong start in 2021. Mejia has a .333/.370/.542 slash line with one home run, two doubles and five RBI through eight games this season.