MLB Player News

Grandal went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-5 win over the Royals.

Grandal mashed a walkoff homer to give the White Sox the victory, which elevated them to a first-place tie with the Twins in the AL Central. If not for an incident in the top of the ninth inning, in which the catcher was involved, Grandal's bottom-of-the-ninth heroics would not have been required. Following a rundown, first baseman Jose Abreu threw home to nail Bubba Starling trying to score, but Grandal wasn't expecting the throw, believing the play was dead. He more than made up for his mental miscue with his fourth home run.

Perez went 3-for-5 with an RBI single in Friday's 14-2 win over the Cardinals.

All three of Perez's hits were singles, and the one he had in the sixth inning scored Carlos Santana. The 31-year-old Perez is slashing only .167/.318/.167 with two RBI and a run scored in 11 games. He will typically share catching duties with Sandy Leon.

Perez (eye) visited an eye specialist this week and remains without an official timeline for his return, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

The 30-year-old was diagnosed with central serious chorioretinopathy (fluid accumulation under the retina) after landing on the injured list Aug. 18, but there's been no indication of when he may be able to rejoin the team. Perez is eligible to be activated off the injured list Friday, but he should be considered out indefinitely until the team indicates otherwise. Cam Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria should continue to split catching duties during his absence.

Higashioka (oblique) took at-bats and caught in a simulated game at the Yankees' alternate training site Thursday, Conor Foley of the Scranton Times-Tribune reports.

Higashioka has been out since Aug. 8 with a strained right oblique. Manager Aaron Boone indicated Aug. 19 that the backstop wasn't close to returning, but an additional week of recovery seems to have pushed Higashioka to the brink of rejoining the team. Assuming Thursday's session went off without a hitch, Higashioka should come off the injured list in the near future. He would presumably resume his backup role to Gary Sanchez upon his return.

Trevino started at catcher and batted third, going 1-for-4 in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Athletics.

Trevino, who started the season batting in the lower third of the order, was moved up the three hole, a spot where the Rangers need production. The team's No. 3 hitters went into Wednesday's game slashing .137/.183/.205. He posted an .893 OPS in eight games while batting eighth or ninth, so Trevino became the sixth No. 3 hitter tried this season. Joey Gallo would appear to solve the issue for the Rangers, but manager Chris Woodward told T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com that he doesn't feel comfortable there. "I'm hoping that we eventually get to that point, where he feels really, really comfortable about being in that spot," Woodward said. "Maybe it isn't the best spot for him. There is a comfort factor, obviously, when you're a major league hitter."

Thole is traveling with the Yankees as part of their taxi squad, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Thole began the season near the bottom of the team's catching depth chart, but an injury to Kyle Higashioka (oblique) and the retirement of Chris Iannetta has catapulted Thole to taxi-squad status. Though he's unlikely to be activated barring injury or illness to either Gary Sanchez or Erik Kratz, Thole will likely accompany the team on road trips until Higashioka is able to return. The Yankees' acquisition of Rob Brantly on Wednesday does cast some question about Thole's place on the depth chart moving forward, however.

Gallagher went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run during Wednesday's loss to the Cardinals.

Gallagher got the Royals on the board by launching his first long ball of the season with a two-run shot off Dakota Hudson in the third inning. Across 11 games, the 27-year-old backstop is slashing .318/.423/.545 with four runs scored and a pair of RBI.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Orioles.

Perez delivered his first home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth inning to supply the game-winning run. The start was Perez's first since August 21. Through 38 plate appearances this season, he is hitting .171/.211/.257.

Sanchez isn't in the lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against Atlanta.

Sanchez went hitless in three at-bats during the Yankees' Game 1 loss, and he'll take a seat for the second game of the twin bill. Erik Kratz will start behind the dish in his place.

Jansen isn't in Wednesday's lineup against the Red Sox.

Jansen broke a seven-game hitless streak with two hits in Tuesday's contest, but he'll take a seat Wednesday. Reese McGuire will start behind the plate in his place.