MLB Player News

Plawecki exited Sunday's game after being hit by a pitch near his right hand, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Plawecki stayed in the game to run the bases after suffering the injury, but he was replaced behind the plate by Christian Vazquez in the following inning. The exact nature and severity of the injury are unclear. The 29-year-old will get at least one day to recover since the Red Sox have a day off Monday.

Royals GM Dayton Moore said Sunday that Perez (eye) will soon begin participating at the Royals' alternate site, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Blurred vision sent Perez to the injured list last month. The official diagnosis was central serous chorioretinopathy, a condition in which fluid accumulates under the retina. Fortunately, it seems he's found a solution or has moved past the worst of the problem as he is set to begin participating soon. A return for the final 10 games or so would appear to be on the table if he can get up to speed in a hurry.

Heim, who went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles and two runs in a win over the Padres on Saturday, has drawn starts in three of the past six games and is hitting .333 (3-for-9) going into Sunday's action.

The rookie's defense isn't a concern, with Heim having proven himself amply in that regard during his long minor-league career. However, his solid start at the plate -- albeit over a very small sample -- is encouraging and comes on the heels of his outstanding .358/.412/.557 line across 119 plate appearances for Triple-A Las Vegas in 2019. Given the extremely hitter-friendly conditions of the Pacific Coast League, there was at least some question of how artificially enhanced those career-best numbers were, but Heim is in line to see consistent chances to dispel any doubts if he's able to keep his strong work with the bat going.

Stassi (quadriceps) was activated from the 10-day injured list Sunday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

A foul ball off Stassi's right knee put the skids on the catcher's hot start -- he has an .838 OPS and four homers through 18 games. His track record says it's fluky, but the playing time should be there at least. Stassi figures to take over as the Angels' primary catcher with Jason Castro traded and Jose Briceno sent down.

Perez (shoulder) is back in the lineup Sunday against the Brewers.

Right shoulder fatigue forced Perez to the bench for a few days, but he's back Sunday, catching for ace Shane Bieber. Perez has been unable to capture the same magic he had last year, slashing just .167/.286/.250 with one homer through 16 games this season.

Perez went 3-for-4 with three RBI in a 7-3 loss to Miami on Saturday.

Aside from Perez, The Tampa Bay bats weren't able to get much going against Sandy Alcantara on Saturday. The 28-year-old catcher had an RBI double in the fifth before singling in two more runs in the ninth inning. Perez now has six RBI in his last two games and is making a strong case to get regular playing time even when Mike Zunino (oblique) returns from the 10-day injured list.

Grandal went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Saturday's 5-3 win over Kansas City.

Grandal's fifth-inning blast gave starter Lucas Giolito a commanding four-run cushion. It was Grandal's fifth homer in 30 games, and he's hit safely in three straight games, going 5-for-10 with a double and a homer.

Sanchez is not in the lineup Sunday and manager Aaron Boone said Sanchez's benching could last a few days, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

After wearing the Golden Sombrero on Saturday, Sanchez now has 11 strikeouts in his last five games. His .130 batting average would be the lowest in baseball by 40 points if he had enough plate appearances to qualify. Erik Kratz and Kyle Higashioka will handle catching duties until the Yankees deem Sanchez ready to return.

Vazquez went 3-for-5 with a stolen base and two runs scored in Saturday's 9-8 win over the Blue Jays.

Vazquez's three hits were all singles. He scored on a Jackie Bradley homer in the second inning. In the ninth, Vazquez singled, stole second, advanced to third on an error and then beat the throw home on Yairo Munoz's groundball. The three-hit effort gave Vazquez a .266/.321/.403 slash line with four homers, 16 runs scored, 12 RBI and two steals in 35 games this year.

McGuire was optioned to the Blue Jays' alternate training site Saturday, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

McGuire will remain with the taxi squad for the team's road trip, so he could be available in an emergency situation. The 25-year-old saw limited time behind the plate during his time on the major-league roster and hit .073 with a solo home run and 11 strikeouts over 41 at-bats. Caleb Joseph's contract was selected in a corresponding move, and he should serve as the backup catcher going forward.