MLB Player News

Garver is not in the lineup for Friday's game versus Cleveland.

Garver is 2-for-13 with eight strikeouts to begin the season and will take a seat for the second game of the series. Alex Avila receives another start behind the plate for Minnesota.

Sanchez is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Red Sox.

Sanchez is 0-for-15 with 10 strikeouts through five games, so he'll receive the day off Friday to reset. Kyle Higashioka will take over behind the plate and bat ninth.

Stassi went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 8-5 loss to the Mariners.

Stassi finally put the Angels on the board with his fifth-inning blast against Mariners starter Marco Gonzales. The catcher has now homered in each of his last two starts, accounting for all five of his RBI this season. Stassi will continue to split time with Jason Castro behind the dish.

Vazquez went 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and two runs scored Thursday against the Mets.

Vazquez took Steven Matz deep twice, the first a solo shot in the second inning. He followed that up with a two-run home run that just got over the left-field fence in the fourth frame. Vazquez has quickly racked up four long balls on the campaign and has been steady at the dish overall by reaching base nine times in 20 plate appearances.

Murphy (foot) still does not have a timetable for a return, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Murphy, who was placed on the injured list July 23 with a broken bone in his foot, still figures to be a ways out from returning to the Mariners.

Nola (knee) is expected to return for Friday's home opener against the Athletics, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports. "He had some tests run today and they came back pretty good," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "He's got some swelling in there, but nothing structural wrong with the knee at all, which is really good news. Anytime you are going to get an MRI on a catcher's knee, you get a little nervous."

If the timeframe holds, Nola will have missed three games after originally injuring the knee sliding into second base against the Astros on Monday. The 30-year-old was slashing .222/.417/.333 across 12 plate appearances before the injury, and his presence is particularly important with Tom Murphy (foot) still without a timetable to return.

Nola (knee) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels, Lauren Smith of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Nola will sit for a second straight game as he continues to battle knee soreness. Joe Odom is once again starting at catcher and hitting ninth in his place Wednesday.

Sullivan has been added to the Rays' 60-man player pool, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He will provide some catching and outfield depth, but is unlikely to be called up to the big club, barring multiple injuries ahead of him, particularly at catcher. Sullivan hit .280/.333/.459 with 10 home runs and 21 steals in 403 plate appearances at Double-A last year, but he did that as a 25-year-old who was 1.3 years older than the average player at that level.

Perez, who was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a right shoulder strain, won't throw for 7-to-10 days and will be reassessed daily in hopes of shortening his rehab stint.

Perez is one of the best defensive catchers in baseball, so Cleveland obviously wants him back as soon as possible as it attempts to win the AL Central. Sandy Leon and Beau Taylor are set to split the catching duties in the meantime.

Perez (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

He has been dealing with a sore right shoulder and it's apparently serious enough for him to sit for at least 10 days. In the meantime, Sandy Leon will act as the primary catcher while Beau Taylor takes on the backup duties.