MLB Player News

Contreras is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Contreras was recently handed a two-game suspension but is appealing, so he's eligible to play. Still, he's absent from the card after going 1-for-2 with two walks and a pair of runs scored during Saturday's win. Alex Avila will take over behind the plate and bat cleanup in his absence.

D'Arnaud (knee) will return to the lineup Saturday against the Braves, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

The oft-injured backstop twisted his knee Thursday, but fortunately he avoided anything major this time around. This will be d'Arnaud's 101st game of the season, putting him on pace to set a new career high in appearances -- he played in 108 games back in 2014.

Vazquez is starting at catcher and hitting second Saturday against the Rays, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

This is his first time batting higher than sixth this season, but since the typical No. 2 hitter, Dustin Pedroia, is out of the lineup, this may be a one-time thing. For what it's worth, Vazquez is hitting .395/.425/.632 with two home runs in his lat 38 at-bats, so he's the team's hottest hitter.

Perez (side) is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Indians, MLBPressbox.com reports.

Perez will miss Saturday's game while nursing an intercostal injury that forced the catcher to remain out of the starting nine Friday as well. Though Perez may return Friday, Drew Butera will remain behind the plate in his stead Saturday.

Contreras has been suspended two games after he bounced his face mask Friday and it hit home plate umpire Jordan Baker on the leg, but he is appealing, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Until a ruling on the appeal is handed down, Contreras will remain eligible to play. He's in the lineup Saturday, catching and batting cleanup against right-hander Michael Wacha. Contreras has homered twice in four career at-bats against Wacha.

Sanchez is out of the lineup for Saturday's contest against Baltimore.

Sanchez receives a standard day off following eight straight starts, hitting .406 with three home runs and seven RBI during that span. In his place, Austin Romine will handle the catching duties.

Grandal is out of Saturday's lineup against the Nationals, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Grandal, who is hitting .029/.171/.118 in 34 at-bats this month, continues to lose out on playing time amid this brutal slump. Austin Barnes will start behind the dish and hit seventh, and it would seem like there will be a pretty even timeshare at catcher going forward.

Jansen, who ascended from High- to Triple-A during the 2017 season, finished the campaign with a .323/.400/.484 slash line over 104 total games.

The catching prospect logged 31 games at High-A, 52 contests at Double-A and 21 affairs at Triple-A. Overall, he popped 10 home runs, notched 48 RBI and scored 50 times. Jansen's jump through the ranks was obviously impressive, but the 22-year-old's plate discipline (1.02 BB/K) was equally noteworthy. Toronto's 16th-round selection in 2013 has thrust himself into a tight race with Max Pentecost for the Jays' heir apparent to Russell Martin.

Perez (intercostal) could play Saturday if he is feeling good enough, according to Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City.

The Royals' chances of making the postseason are fading fast, so they don't have much incentive to play Perez and risk further injury. However, if Perez's latest setback is only minor, it appears the team will not hold him out, either. Essentially, it seems like whether or not Perez plays Saturday -- and likely beyond -- will lie in his hands.

Perez (intercostal) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Indians, according to Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star.

Perez aggravated his intercostal injury Thursday night, so it does not come as a surprise that he is being held out Friday in favor of Drew Butera. It's still not clear how severe Perez's latest setback is, but this is not the first time this season he has dealt with an intercostal issue, so the Royals will not rush him back into action.