MLB Player News

The Pirates transferred Perez (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.

Other than characterizing the hamstring injury Perez sustained Saturday as significant or severe, the Pirates brass has yet to provide any sort of timeline for the catcher's return to the lineup. Perez's move to the 60-day IL at least ensures that he'll be on the shelf until early July, and it wouldn't be surprise if the Pirates went ahead and held him out through the All-Star break. Michael Perez and Andrew Knapp are expected to share work behind the dish while the Pirates' No. 1 backstop is sidelined.

Maile will start at catcher and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Maile has provided one double in all four of his starts this season, but the 31-year-old doesn't appear primed for an increased role despite his early success at the dish. He'll be receiving the start at catcher Wednesday due to No. 1 backstop Austin Hedges getting a breather for a day game after a night game.

Hedges isn't starting Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Hedges will get a breather after he went 2-for-11 with an RBI and three strikeouts over the last three games. Luke Maile will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.

While moving between catcher, designated hitter and first base, Grandal has started each of Chicago's last 16 games, slashing .208/.373/.245 over that stretch. He'll get a much-needed breather in the series finale while Reese McGuire catches, Gavin Sheets mans first base and Jose Abreu handles DH duties.

Higashioka is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays.

Higashioka will hit the bench for the day game after a night game, allowing Jose Trevino to pick up a turn behind the dish. In Tuesday's 6-5 loss, Higashioka started at catcher and went 0-for-2, dropping his season average to .140.

Smith (pectoral) is starting Wednesday against the Pirates.

Smith was held out of Tuesday's lineup due to a minor pectoral injury, but he'll start behind the dish and bat third a day later. Over his last five games, he's gone 3-for-18 with three runs, two RBI and three walks.

Lee has produced a .219/.272/.400 slash line across 114 plate appearances with Triple-A Sugar Land to begin the season.

Lee struggled to hit for power to begin the 2022 campaign, picking up only three extra-base hits across his first 12 games. However, he has collected three home runs and nine doubles in his last nine starts. On the other hand, his strikeout rate has ticked up to 26.3 percent, a considerable increase from his 17.2 percent figure at Double-A Corpus Christi in 2021. Even so, Lee is Houston's top catching prospect and now has 152 plate appearances at Triple-A, so he could make his big-league debut this season if either Jason Castro or Martin Maldonado suffers an injury.

Heim started at catcher, batted fourth, and went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Royals.

With primary backstop Mitch Garver (flexor strain) added to the injured list, Heim ascended to the top of the depth chart at catcher. He's also batted clean up in three of the last four games against righties and lefties. As a backup catcher, Heim received a healthy share of appearances while Rangers manager Chris Woodward often used Garver at designated hitter, but he should now log more frequent playing time as the primary backstop. This will be a test to see if Heim can continue a hot start to the season, which has been fueled by a .351 BABIP.

Adams went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Mets.

His fifth-inning blast off Carlos Carrasco gave the Nationals a 2-0 lead, but it was the last bit of offense the team would muster on the night. Adams isn't seeing a lot of playing time behind Keibert Ruiz, and while he does have two homers in 36 plate appearances, his .182/.250/.364 slash line otherwise doesn't make a strong case for more work.

Casali went 3-for-3 with a walk and two RBI in Tuesday's 9-2 win over the Rockies.

Joey Bart received Tuesday off and Casali made the most of his opportunity to start behind the dish. Entering Tuesday, Casali had just seven hits all season, but he's now slashing .250/.318/.300 with three RBI, three runs scored and a pair of doubles in 44 plate appearances. If he can show some consistency at the plate, Casali could pick up more starts, but the Giants will likely be patient with Bart in his first full major-league campaign.