MLB Player News

Jeffers went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI in Friday's 5-4 win over the Angels.

The catcher displayed some power with his pair of doubles, but it was his RBI single in the eighth inning that tied the game at 4-4. An error on the play allowed the go-ahead run to score as well. Jeffers has posted seven multi-hit efforts in 42 games, but he's slashing only .203/.286/.384 with six home runs, 17 RBI and 12 runs scored. The 24-year-old will likely return to a backup role when Mitch Garver returns from the paternity list.

Sanchez was removed from Friday's game against the Red Sox due to a mid-back spasm.

Sanchez was replaced by a pinch hitter in the top of the sixth inning after he went 0-for-1 with a run, a walk and a strikeout to begin Friday's contest. It's not yet clear whether the issue will force the 28-year-old to miss additional time.

Maldonado is out of the lineup Friday against the Rangers, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Maldonado started the past four games and will receive a day to rest Friday. Jason Castro will catch for Jake Odorizzi and bat eighth.

Sanchez (general soreness) is starting behind the plate and batting cleanup Friday at Boston.

Sanchez sat out Thursday's contest after getting "dinged up" Wednesday, but he's good to go for Friday's series opener. The 28-year-old is 4-for-16 with two solo homers, a walk and an additional run scored in five games since the All-Star break.

Perez is out of the lineup Friday against Tampa Bay.

Perez is 2-for-15 since the All-Star break and finds himself on the bench for the second straight contest. Austin Hedges will work behind the plate again Friday for Cleveland.

Murphy went 2-for-5 with an RBI double in a win over the Mariners on Thursday.

Murphy extended the Athletics' lead to 2-0 with his sixth-inning two-bagger, snapping a brief 0-for-11 skid in the process. The struggling backstop owns just a .217 batting average and .303 OBP, but he's cobbled together a respectable .416 SLG thanks to exactly half of his 58 hits going for extra bases (17 doubles, 12 home runs), which has led to a solid 45 RBI.

Stassi is out of the lineup Friday against the Twins, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Stassi started the last two games and will receive the day off Friday. Kurt Suzuki will catch for Alex Cobb and bat fifth in his absence.

Murphy went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in a loss to the Athletics on Thursday.

Murphy's 394-foot shot to left field in the seventh inning resulted in the only run for the Mariners on a night when the Athletics' Sean Manaea rang up a career-high 13 strikeouts over seven innings. The veteran backstop owns an abysmal .197/.281/.376 slash line for the season, but at least 15 of his 37 hits have gone for extra bases (seven doubles, eight home runs).

Jansen was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday with a strained right hamstring, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Jansen picked up the hamstring injury during Wednesday's matchup with the Red Sox and is expected to face a significant absence, per Mitch Bannon of SI.com. Alejandro Kirk was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move.

Kirk was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Kirk was activated from the injured list Tuesday and optioned to Triple-A, but he'll quickly rejoin the major-league roster for Toronto. Reese McGuire has a .671 OPS for the season and is 4-for-31 in his past 10 games, so Kirk should have the chance to secure the starting role behind the plate. Per Hazel Mae of Sportsnet, he'll start at catcher Friday versus the Mets. Danny Jansen (hamstring) was placed on the injured list in a corresponding move.