MLB Player News

Jeffers went 2-for-3 with a solo homer and an RBI single in Monday's 6-2 win over the Tigers.

Jeffers opened the scoring in the third inning by taking Michael Fulmer deep for his first big-league homer. He added an RBI single in the fourth. The rookie has held down the catching duties nicely since being called up Aug. 20, slashing .265/.324/.353 to go along with three RBI. He should continue to receive the bulk of the time behind the dish moving forward.

Maldonado will sit Monday against Oakland, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Maldonado has handled a heavy workload behind the plate this season, starting 32 times in 41 games. Dustin Garneau gets the start in his absence.

Sanchez sits for the second straight game Monday against Toronto.

Manager Aaron Boone indicated over the weekend that Sanchez was due for a period on the bench. It's not hard to see why, as he's hitting a miserable .130/.237/.350 on the season while striking out at a 42.1 percent clip. Kyle Higashioka will start behind the plate Monday.

Perez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

After sitting out Sunday's win over the Marlins while a lefty (Trevor Rogers) was on the mound for the opposition, the lefty-hitting Perez will take a seat again Monday, despite right-hander Max Scherzer being on the bump for the Nationals. Kevan Smith will pick up a second straight start behind the dish in place of Perez.

Jeffers will start at catcher and will bat ninth Monday against the Tigers.

With Alex Avila (back) joining Mitch Garver (side) on the 10-day injured list Saturday, Jeffers now sits atop the Twins' depth chart at catcher. The 23-year-old has thus far gotten off to a rough start to his big-league career, slashing .226/.294/.226 over 34 plate appearances.

Perez (eye) took live at-bats at the Royals' alternate site Sunday, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

The left eye blurriness that has kept Perez sidelined since mid-August seems to be improving. The Royals are hopeful that Perez can return from the 10-day injured list at some point next weekend, at which point he would displace Cam Gallagher as the team's everyday catcher.

Stassi went 2-for-3 with a walk and scored twice in a victory over Houston on Sunday.

Stassi was activated from the injured list Sunday and immediately slotted into the sixth spot in the batting order. He produced a pair of singles and crossed the plate twice to help the Halos to their fifth straight win. With Jason Castro now in San Diego, Stassi figures to get the bulk of playing time at backstop over the final month of the season. He's enjoying a productive year, slashing .271/.357/.878 with four home runs in 56 plate appearances.

Grandal went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored Sunday against the Royals.

Grandal was busy at the plate, with the highlight coming on an RBI double in the eighth inning that put the White Sox up 7-2. He's put together a modest four-game hitting streak, during which he's smacked a home run, two doubles, driven in four and scored two runs. Overall, Grandal has managed a .257/.376/.440 line across 133 plate appearances.

Murphy went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Padres.

Murphy's seventh-inning solo shot off Padres starter Garrett Richards got the Athletics within two runs, but that was as close as it got. In the ninth, Tony Kemp pinch hit for Murphy and flied out to end the game. Through 29 contests, Murphy has three homers, six RBI and nine runs scored across 87 plate appearances.

Plawecki (hand) underwent an X-ray that came back negative, and he'll be evaluated again Monday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Plawecki left Sunday's game after being hit by a pitch on his right hand, but he appears to have avoided a major injury. More clarity on his status could come once he's evaluated further Monday.