MLB Player News

Perez was removed from Friday's game for precautionary reasons after he took a foul tip in the jaw while catching, Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City reports.

Perez was 2-for-3 at the time, and with a 6-2 lead, it probably seemed safe to put in Drew Butera for the rest of the game. Unfortunately, the Royals promptly gave up five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning after Perez was taken out. Expect Perez back in the lineup at some point this weekend, but consider him day-to-day for now.

D'Arnaud homered twice and drove in four runs in a 2-for-4 game Friday against the Nationals.

This marks the second time d'Arnaud has launched two homers in 2017, and remarkably enough, both came against the Nationals. He now has 15 home runs, good for a career high. The catcher's batting line sits at .245/.292/.442 as his power numbers have been the brightest spot of an otherwise mediocre season.

Gomes is out of the lineup Friday against the Mariners.

Friday will mark the fourth time over the last five games that Gomes has been withheld from the starting lineup. Since the start of September, Gomes has appeared in just 10 of Cleveland's 20 games. Roberto Perez will draw another start behind the dish as Gomes returns to the bench.

Contreras is not in the lineup against the Brewers on Friday.

Contreras receives a standard day off following Thursday's start, going 0-for-4 at the plate during the Cubs' victory. He also took a foul ball off the right knee during the series opener, which caused him to limp around in pain for a short period of time. Although he remained in the game, manager Joe Maddon is likely giving Contreras the night off partially due to this happenstance. In his place, Alex Avila will set up at catcher and bat fifth in the order.

The Reds signed Barnhart to a four-year, $16 million extension Friday with a $7.5 million club option in 2022 ($500,000 buyout), Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

He also received a $1.75 million signing bonus. Barnhart's chief value rests outside the fantasy realm, as he's thrown out 44 percent of the runners trying to steal a base on him this year. That's the best percentage in the National League and the second-highest in the majors, per Sheldon. He's been a valuable backup to talented but injury-prone Devin Mesoraco, and Barnhart now lines up to be in the Reds' plans, in some form, for the next few years.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer and a run-scoring groundout against Toronto on Wednesday.

After three games out of the lineup with an intercostal issue, Perez has looked healthy back in the batter's box over his two games since returning. The potential for the injury to crop up again is concerning, but with Perez sitting on a career-high 26 homers and coming up on his career high in RBI (79; he's three short), he's got to be locked into fantasy lineups as long as the Royals are deploying him.

Gomes is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels.

Gomes will head to the bench for a third straight game as Roberto Perez draws another start behind the dish in his stead. There has been no word of any injury at this point, so it's possible manager Terry Francona is simply riding the hotter bat. The 30-year-old backstop is hitting .250/.270/.361 with one homer in 36 at-bats this month, while Perez is slashing .314/.368/.743 with four homers in 35 at-bats over the same stretch.

Hedges is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Hedges receives a breather following a pair of starts behind the plate for the first two games of this series. In his place, Rocky Gale will handle the catching duties.

Vazquez is out of the lineup Wednesday against Baltimore, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Coming off an 0-for-4 outing Tuesday, the Red Sox will give Vazquez the night to rest. Sandy Leon will serve as the team's backstop and hit eighth while Vazquez heads to the bench.

Grandal is out of the lineup against the Phillies on Wednesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Grandal gets the day off following a 1-for-3 performance with a solo home run during Tuesday's game. Austin Barnes will handle the catching duties while batting sixth in the order.