MLB Player News

Perez (eye) will bat third and start behind the plate Saturday against the Brewers.

Perez sat Thursday and then was scratched Friday with blurred vision. The Royals said they expected the issue to clear up soon, however, and it seems like it already hs. That's great news for Kansas City, as Perez is swinging a hot bat this season, slashing .289/.338/.511.

Grandal was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against Houston.

Grandal exited Thursday's game against the Royals with right hamstring tightness and sat out Friday, but he was initially pencilled in for a return Saturday. The White Sox haven't officially given a reason for their updated lineup, which now features Seby Zavala behind the plate, but it's likely that Grandal wound up needing at least one more day to recover.

Maldonado will sit Saturday against the White Sox.

Maldonado has provided his typical unimpressive performance at the plate this season, slashing .186/.278/.291, but he's nonetheless started 28 of Houston's first 39 games. Cesar Salazar will be the backstop Saturday.

Moreno is not in Saturday's lineup against the Giants.

Moreno is hitting .333 with zero home runs and one steal in 27 at-bats this month. Jose Herrera will start behind the dish and bat ninth.

Grandal (hamstring) is starting at catcher and batting seventh Saturday against the Astros, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

This is excellent news, as Grandal's hamstring issue was indeed minor after being pulled from Thursday's game and sitting out Friday. Grandal is hitting .344 with three runs and two RBI in 10 games this month.

Alvarez will sit Saturday against the Nationals.

With Tomas Nido (eye) joining Omar Narvaez (calf) on the injured list this week, Alvarez has handled a heavy workload behind the plate, starting six consecutive games. Michael Perez will take over Saturday.

Heim will sit Saturday against Oakland.

Heim is off to an excellent start this season, hitting .319/.379/.546 with six homers. That's led to a heavy workload, as he started 11 of the last 13 games behind the plate prior to Saturday's off day. Sandy Leon will catch Jon Gray in Heim's absence.

Kirk will sit Saturday against Atlanta.

Kirk's plate discipline remains excellent this season, as he's walked 17.1 percent of the time to go with a 13.0 percent strikeout rate. He hasn't done much damage when he hits the ball, however, homering just twice while hitting .230, though his 8.1 percent barrel rate is just a tenth of a point below league average, suggesting potential for improvement. Danny Jansen starts behind the plate Saturday.

Contreras will be back behind the plate Monday to catch Jack Flaherty against the Brewers, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

The Cardinals publicly criticized Contreras' catching last week and moved him to the designated hitter spot for an unclear amount of time while he worked on his defense. He's evidently shown enough improvement already that the team is comfortable returning him to his natural position. The Cardinals have allowed 5.4 runs per game since moving Contreras out from behind the plate, up from 5.1 runs per game prior to that point, so it's not clear that the decision had the desired effect.

Vazquez will sit Saturday against the Cubs.

Vazquez finds himself on the bench for the second time in three games. His bat has gone cold recently, as he's hit .098/.174/.098 in his last 13 games. Ryan Jeffers will take over behind the plate.