MLB Player News

Jansen (hamstring) is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Jansen hasn't progressed as quickly as expected from the right hamstring strain he sustained July 21, but just over a month later, he's finally reached the final phase of his recovery program. Neither Reese McGuire nor Alejandro Kirk has ran away with the No. 1 catching job while Jansen has been out, but that doesn't mean that the 26-year-old will have a clear path to the top gig once he returns. Though Jansen is valued for his defense, his 62 wRC+ on the season places him 49th among the 58 catchers who have logged at least 100 plate appearances.

Perez went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Sunday's 3-0 loss to St. Louis.

He's hitless in his last 19 at-bats dating back to Aug. 2. Perez continues to make two or three weekly starts, but he's cooled off since hitting a ninth-inning home run on Aug. 1. Interestingly, 15 of Perez's 23 hits have come in consecutive games, giving him a glimmer of streaming potential on rare occasions. His overall slash line of .153/.230/.347 (prior to Sunday) illustrates his offensive shortcomings, however.

Mejia went 2-for-4 with a three-run double in Sunday's 9-0 win over the White Sox.

Mejia drilled a clutch three-run double in the sixth inning to give the Rays a huge 6-0 lead. It was just his third extra-base hit this month and his first RBI since Aug. 10. He's sporting a .752 OPS with 28 RBI through 218 plate appearances.

Manager Tony La Russa said Grandal (knee) won't return from the 10-day injured list during the White Sox's upcoming four-game series in Toronto that concludes Thursday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

La Russa stressed that Grandal hasn't suffered a setback in his recovery from the left knee surgery he required in early July; the White Sox simply aren't keen on rushing him back early while he rebuilds strength in the knee. Grandal will likely remain on assignment at Triple-A Charlotte through at least the end of the week before the White Sox re-evaluate him for a potential activation. Through his first seven rehab games between Charlotte and Double-A Binghamton, Grandal has gone 9-for-20 with a home run and three RBI.

Contreras was spotted Sunday testing his sprained right knee by running the bases, Brian Sandalow of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

According to manager David Ross, Contreras has been able to do some catching in addition to running, but his knee hasn't healed enough for the backstop to take part in blocking drills behind the plate. Sandalow speculates that if Contreras is activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of next weekend's road series versus the White Sox, he could be deployed as a designated hitter before catching in games.

Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Yan Gomes will step in for Murphy, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Saturday's 6-5 loss. Murphy has seen a lighter share of the catching duties since Gomes was acquired ahead of the trade deadline, but the former still appears to be Oakland's No. 1 backstop.

Nola is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

He gets a day off after going 1-for-3 with a walk Saturday, raising his average to .265 in the last 10 games. Victor Caratini is catching and batting eighth Sunday.

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a run in a loss to the Giants on Saturday.

Murphy has been on a solid run at the plate through most of August, as Saturday's production brought his slash line over the last nine games to .286/.394/.536 with four doubles, a home run, seven RBI, five walks and five runs. The young backstop's .225 season average does have plenty of room for improvement, but his .321 on-base percentage and .423 slugging percentage are both serviceable enough.

Raleigh is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

Tom Murphy will be behind the plate for the series finale after Raleigh caught five of the Mariners' previous six games. Despite the run of steady playing time, Raleigh has yet to carry over much of his offensive success from Triple-A Tacoma over to the majors. Through his first 86 MLB plate appearances, Raleigh is hitting .177 with six extra-base hits (one home run, five doubles) and 30 strikeouts (34.9 percent rate).

Narvaez is on the bench for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Narvaez has hit .323 with a double, two home runs and nine RBI in his last 10 games. Manny Pina is starting behind the dish and batting eighth Sunday.