MLB Player News

Perez is not starting Wednesday against the Angels.

Perez went hitless Tuesday after hitting .409 over his previous six contests. Kevin Plawecki gets the start behind the plate in his absence.

McCann is not starting Wednesday against the Royals.

McCann owns a poor .491 OPS over his last 12 contests, though his season OPS remains quite strong (especially for a catcher) at .785. Welington Castillo starts behind the plate in his absence.

Garver will sit Wednesday against Washington.

Garver has started every other game at the plate over the last six games, adding a start as a designated hitter as well. Jason Castro gets the call behind the plate Wednesday.

Murphy went 3-for-5 with two home runs, three runs scored and four RBI in Tuesday's 21-7 rout of the Astros.

The rookie has been impressive to begin his big-league career, going deep three times in his first three starts and slashing .357/.400/1.000 through 15 plate appearances. Murphy remains in a timeshare with Josh Phegley behind the plate for now, but if he keeps raking he could overtake the veteran as Oakland's No. 1 catcher with the club pulling out all the stops in an effort to make the postseason.

Maldonado went 2-for-3 with a pair of solo home runs in Tuesday's 21-7 loss to the Athletics.

Maldonado is hitting just .226 since joining the Astros but has homered five times in 62 at-bats. Slugging is not typically a part of his repertoire, so view this stretch as an anomaly.

McGuire went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and walk during a 4-3 victory against the Red Sox on Tuesday.

That gives McGuire five long balls already in just 65 at-bats. He's batting .323 too, and with three doubles to go with the homers, McGuire owns a .600 slugging percentage. Of course, it's still a small sample, as McGuire has played just 20 games. He also has eight RBI and nine runs.

Garver went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Nationals.

Garver started the scoring with his 425-foot blast to left-center field during the seventh inning to put the Twins in control of the contest. The 28-year-old is having a spectacular season with a .275/.364/.646 slash line, 30 home runs and 64 RBI in only 83 games.

Stassi (side) remains out of the lineup Tuesday against the Indians.

Stassi has not appeared in a game since Sept. 3. He's been nursing a side injury and it's not clear when he's expected back. Kevan Smith and Anthony Bemboom have been splitting time behind the plate in Stassi's absence.

Narvaez will sit Tuesday against Cleveland.

Narvaez is hitting just .154/.281/.231 over his last 10 games. Tom Murphy will start behind the plate Tuesday.

Maile (oblique) is making solid progress in his rehab and could return within a week or so, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Maile has been on the 10-day injured list since July 27 with a left oblique strain, though he could be back in action for the final few weeks of the regular season if all goes well. He's struggled to a .153 average with two homers and nine RBI over 42 games this season with Toronto.