MLB Player News

Vazquez went 2-for-3 with a double and a solo home run in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Tigers.

His seventh-inning blast off Andrew Chafin provided the Red Sox with their final run of the night, and an insurance run they wound up needing after the Tigers nearly closed the gap in the ninth. Vazquez has suddenly found his power stroke, going 4-for-10 over the last three games with two doubles, two homers and five RBI, and the surge has pushed his slash line on the season up to .273/.314/.409 with four home runs and 29 RBI through 52 contests.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 7-1 win over the Cubs.

The 29-year-old backstop took Matt Swarmer deep in the second inning as the Pirates raced out to an early lead. Perez has three homers in 72 plate appearances on the season, but occasional pop is all he offers, and his .435 OPS is somehow even worse than his career .539 mark.

Heim went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 7-0 win over the Phillies.

Heim went yard for the second time in three days and is up to nine homers over 48 games, one shy of the total he achieved in 2021 over 82 contests. Fellow backstop Mitch Garver returned Tuesday after an 11-day stint on the COVID-19 injured list, but he is limited to DH-only duties because of a right flexor strain that prevents him from throwing. Heim will continue to be the primary catcher until Garver's condition improves.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI during Tuesday's 8-2 win at Cincinnati.

Smith started the scoring with a solo home run during the opening frame, and he also delivered a sacrifice fly during the eighth to bring home Los Angeles' final run of the day. The 27-year-old had five home runs through his first 41 contests of the season, but he's found his power stroke of late with four long balls in his past 13 games.

Perez was removed from Tuesday's game against the Angels after appearing to aggravate his left thumb injury, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Perez appeared to aggravate the injury during the top of the third inning while fouling off four pitches amid a 10-pitch strikeout, and he was replaced behind the plate for the bottom of the frame. The 32-year-old spent time on the injured list with a sprained left thumb in May, and he's been unable to fully shake the injury since returning from the shelf.

Stephenson (thumb) is expected to have his cast removed within the next few days, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Depending on the feedback he receives from his surgeon once the cast is removed, Stephenson could be able to resume light baseball activities by next week. The 25-year-old was projected to miss around 4-to-6 weeks when he first fractured his thumb June 9, and that timeline is still believed to be in place.

Moreno is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox.

Moreno is on the bench for the third time in four games and may have to settle for a part-time role at catcher behind Alejandro Kirk, even while fellow backstop Danny Jansen (finger) remains stuck on the 10-day injured list. Though Moreno has more than held his own at the plate in a limited sample of 24 MLB plate appearances (.808 OPS), Kirk continues to produce at a high level in his own right. The Blue Jays likely aren't keen on regularly including both of their backstops in the lineup and leaving no catcher available off the bench, so Moreno looks like he'll be limited to a backup duties more often than not.

Stalling is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rockies, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Stalling started the past two games and will take a seat for Tuesday's contest. Nick Fortes will work behind the plate and bat ninth.

The Rangers optioned Huff to Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday.

While serving as the Rangers' backup catcher and as a depth option at first base and designated hitter, Huff had started in only three of the Rangers' last nine games. With top DH Mitch Garver (illness) returning from the COVID-19-related injured list Tuesday, Huff's opportunities were likely to grow scarcer, so the Rangers opted to return the 24-year-old to Round Rock to play on a more regular basis. In a corresponding move, the Rangers called up Meibrys Viloria from Round Rock to take over as the No. 2 backstop behind Jonah Heim.

Narvaez will sit Tuesday against the Cardinals.

Narvaez's off days typically come against lefties, but he'll sit here against righty Jack Flaherty. Victor Caratini gets the start behind the plate.