MLB Player News

Perez will sit Friday against the Pirates.

Perez hits the bench after starting four straight games and seven of the last eight. Sandy Leon will catch Carlos Carrasco in his absence.

Murphy went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Dodgers.

Murphy plated the Athletics' only run with a solo shot to center field in the eighth inning. The long ball was his seventh this season. Murphy has 14 RBI while slashing .234/.364/.458 on the campaign.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and another RBI during Thursday's win over the Tigers.

Perez got the scoring started with a two-run shot against Michael Fulmer in the first inning. It was his third long ball over the last two games after the 30-year-old homered twice Wednesday. On the season, Perez has tallied a team-leading 11 home runs while slashing .360/.375/.683.

Manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that who starts at catcher between Higashioka and Gary Sanchez will be a "day-to-day situation," Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Higashioka has already cut substantially into the struggling Sanchez's playing time, going 7-for-21 with three homers while making six starts behind the dish since Sept.11. Though Sanchez obviously has the edge over Higashioka with regard to postseason experience, it sounds like the catching duties will at least begin as a fluid situation when the Yankees open their wild-card series Tuesday.

Manager Aaron Boone said deciding who will start at catcher between Sanchez and Kyle Higashioka during the playoffs will be a "day-to-day situation," Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

This is a telling announcement from Boone, as it shows that the Yankees could be running out of patience with Sanchez's struggles at the plate. The backstop has just eight hits in his last 52 at-bats and is hitting just .143/.241/.374 on the season. Higashioka has found success while seeing increased playing time of late, going 7-for-21 with four homers since Sept. 11. Both guys will likely see at-bats in the first round of the playoffs next week, but should the Yankees make a deep run, look for the hot hand to get the majority of the time behind the dish.

Bemboom went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a win over the Padres on Wednesday.

Bemboom got the start at catcher and slotted into the eighth spot in the order. He capped a three-homer third inning for the Angels with a solo shot to right field. The 30-year-old is slashing .217/.327/.435 with three homers in 57 plate appearances this season.

Maldonado isn't in Thursday's lineup against the Rangers.

Maldonado has been in a slump recently as he's gone 1-for-20 with four walks and eight strikeouts over the last seven games. Dustin Garneau will take over behind the dish Thursday.

Sanchez isn't starting Thursday against the Blue Jays.

Sanchez has gone 0-for-11 with four strikeouts in his last three games, and he'll take a seat once again Thursday. Kyle Higashioka is starting at catcher in his place.

Grandal (hand) is starting at catcher and batting third Thursday against Cleveland.

He left Monday's game with a bruised right hand but was able to make a quick recovery. Grandal is hitting .241 with three home runs in 58 at-bats this month. He has a .233/.354/.420 slash line with seven home runs on the season.

Perez went 3-for-5 with two home runs, a double and five RBI in Wednesday's win over the Cardinals.

Perez launched a two-run shot in the first and a three-run bomb in the third inning, and he also added a double in the fifth -- all of them against Carlos Martinez. It was a vintage performance for the Venezuelan backstop, who has been one of the most dangerous hitters in the league of late -- he has hit safely in 10 of the Royals' last 11 games while posting seven multi-hit performances and a .446 average during that span.