MLB Player News

Perez will undergo an MRI on Saturday to examine his right side and rib area, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Manager Ned Yost said that he was concerned about the situation. If Perez is found to have an oblique strain or a similar injury, he could easily miss multiple weeks, something the Royals certainly can't afford if they want to make a serious run at the postseason. Drew Butera replaced Perez behind the dish Friday.

Perez exited Friday night's game against the Mariners in the seventh inning after striking out to end the sixth. The club did not immediately announce the reason for his exit, Wilson Alexander of MLB.com reports.

For the second time in nine games, Perez was removed early with apparent discomfort. The backstop suffered a minor rib injury July 25, but only missed one game before returning to action. Drew Butera will be in line for Saturday's start if Perez sits out.

McGuire wrapped up his rehab assignment and rejoined Double-A New Hampshire on Friday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

McGuire was hitting just .216 with 11 strikeouts through 16 games at Double-A before suffering a knee injury in early May. The catcher took little more than a month off following surgery before appearing in 11 rehab games (12-for-34). McGuire has yet to blossom with the Jays organization since coming over from Pittsburgh in a trade last year, and there's only a month remaining before the Fisher Cats season ends.

Jansen, who began the season with High-A Dunedin, was promoted Thursday for the second time in 2017 and joined Triple-A Buffalo, Ricardo Arguello of USA Today Network reports.

Jansen, a 22-year-old backstop, is arguably the organization's breakthrough player of the year. He hit .369 with a .963 OPS through 31 games with Dunedin, then slashed .291/.378/.419 over 52 contests at Double-A New Hampshire. Jansen has unexpectedly emerged as the Jays' top catching prospect with an outstanding campaign, and his efforts will likely land him an invite to next year's spring training.

Gomes is not in the lineup Friday against the Yankees.

The 30-year-old backstop has just one hit in his past 11 at-bats, so Gomes will get his second night off in the last three. Roberto Perez will assume catching duties in his stead.

Narvaez is not in the lineup for Friday's series opener with the Red Sox.

The young lefty will sit for the fourth time in the last six games, a firm indication the White Sox are leaning towards Kevan Smith as their primary backstop. Even when Narvaez has played recently, it hasn't been to the best results, as he his just 2-for-13 with five strikeouts in his last four games.

Deglan has missed the entire season thus far with an undisclosed injury.

The young catcher was held out of the World Baseball Classic in March after undergoing shoulder surgery, but he was able to participate in spring training after that so it's unclear if his absence is still connected to the same ailment. Deglan spent all of 2016 at the Double-A level for the Rangers, but he struggled to the tune of a .194/.256/.332 slash line before joining the Yankees organization over the offseason.

Vazquez went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Thursday's 9-5 win over the White Sox.

Vazquez has posted five straight games with multiple hits, raising his batting average 32 points to .283. With Sandy Leon (knee) not expected back until Sunday at the earliest, you can ride Vazquez's hot streak another couple of days.

Gomes went 1-for-3 with a two-run double, pumping his season's RBI total to 30, in Thursday's win over the Yankees.

The catcher's wall-smacking hit was his 14th two-bagger of the season, giving him the third-most doubles among AL backstops. Although the 30-year-old is hitting just .224, Gomes has come through in the clutch for Cleveland this year, earning more than half of his RBI total in two-out situations. He'll fall short of expectations in many categories, but Gomes remains a solid catcher under many formats.

Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a solo homer in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Indians.

Sanchez's seventh-inning blast was the only damage against Corey Kluber, who allowed just three other base runners in a complete game effort. The catcher found his power stroke with six extra-base hits during New York's recent eight-game homestand, and it's nice to see him maintaining that form with a good performance in the first leg of a seven-game road trip.