MLB Player News

Perez is expected to serve as the designated hitter for the remainder of the season after suffering a minor thumb injury, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

With Perez limited to the designated hitter slot, look for Cameron Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria to get the nod behind the dish for the final games of the 2018 campaign. Even with the Royals out of playoff contention, Perez will attempt to tough it out for the last weekend of the regular season.

Gomes is not in the lineup Friday against the Royals, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Gomes hits the bench for the second time in three games. Roberto Perez will get the start behind the plate.

Jansen is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rays, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Jansen takes a seat for the third time in the last four games, as he hasn't seen back-to-back starts since Sept. 13. Reese McGuire will start behind the plate and bat sixth for the Blue Jays.

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Vazquez heads to the bench after starting three of the last four games, going 2-for-13 with two runs and an RBI. Blake Swihart will start behind the plate and bat eighth for Boston.

Mesoraco hit a three-run, pinch-hit home run in his lone at-bat in Thursday's win over Atlanta.

Mesoraco stepped in for Mets starter Jason Vargas in the seventh inning and knocked a three-run shot, extending his team's lead to 4-0. He's up to 11 home runs this season, his highest total since his 2014 All-Star campaign with Cincinnati.

McCann is not in the lineup versus Minnesota on Thursday.

McCann will receive a standard day off after starting the first two games of this series behind the plate, during which he's gone 3-for-7 with a double and three RBI. Grayson Greiner will handle the catching duties and bat sixth.

Garver (concussion) entered Wednesday's 11-4 win over the White Sox in the bottom of the eighth inning as a pinch hitter, fouling out to left field in his lone at-bat. He stayed in the game to play first base in the top of the ninth.

Garver's appearance marked his first game action since Sept. 12 after he had been embedded in MLB's concussion protocol. The fact that Garver was summoned from the bench Wednesday suggests that he's passed all phases of the protocol and will face no limitations going forward, though the Twins may be reluctant to use him behind the plate, where he would seemingly be more susceptible to a setback. Minnesota might be more willing to deploy Garver in the lineup at first base or designated hitter over its final five games of the season, however.

Sanchez is not in the lineup versus Tampa Bay on Thursday, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Sanchez will head to the bench following five straight starts, during which he's gone 3-for-19 with five RBI and seven strikeouts. Austin Romine will catch CC Sabathia and bat eighth in his absence.

Garver (concussion) has been cleared to hit, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Garver has been sidelined since Sept. 12 with a concussion, but he's been cleared to hit after passing his latest round of tests. While the backstop is trending in the right direction, the Twins have no reason to push their luck and force him back into action with the team out of playoff contention.

Mejia is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Giants, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Mejia will sit for a second straight contest as he continues to split time behind the dish with Austin Hedges, who has now started three of the last seven games at backstop (with Mejia starting the other four). The 22-year-old is hitting .217/.280/.457 with three homers and eight RBI through 17 games with the Padres this season.