MLB Player News

Perez exited Tuesday's game early with right side rib tightness.

The Royals are saying that Perez's removal was simply precautionary and that he's a day-to-day case. It doesn't sound like the star catcher will miss much time, but Drew Butera will fill in behind the plate in the mean time.

Perez was removed early from Tuesday's game against the Tigers, Joel Goldberg of Fox Sports Kansas City reports.

The reason for Perez's early departure is not currently known, but he was replaced by Drew Butera prior to the bottom of the fifth inning. Perez was 1-for-2 with a strikeout prior to his exit. An update on his status should follow Tuesday's contest.

Sanchez is not in the lineup for Tuesday's matchup with the Reds.

Sanchez caught the past six games, but he has just a .462 OPS to his name in that span. He'll hit the bench for a night off as a result, allowing Austin Romine to assume catching duties for the evening.

Grandal went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and two strikeouts in Monday's 6-4 win over the Twins.

Grandal's 14 home runs in 81 games show that his power hasn't gone anywhere, but he has certainly been less patient this season. The catcher's 6.8 percent walk rate is way down from his career 13.1 percent mark, while his 24.8 percent strikeout rate hasn't changed much from the usual 23.1 percent. The drop in OBP has been bearable thanks to a .327 BABIP that's well above Grandal's career .284 mark, but his average could start falling heavily down the stretch if more of his swings start finding fielders.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during Monday's win over Detroit.

Perez is well on his way to a career year with 20 homers, 62 RBI, 43 runs and a .284/.315/.525 slash line. Both his fantasy ceiling and floor benefit from seeing more at-bats than the majority of catchers around the league -- a benefit of the Royals utilizing Perez as their designated hitter more than ever this season.

Pena (undisclosed) was activated from the disabled list at Triple-A Charlotte on Monday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Pena has been sidelined since the beginning of July, but it appears the three-plus-week absence was enough to get him back to full health. That said, his uninspiring slash line with the Triple-A club has him locked into an organizational depth role for the foreseeable future.

Nicholas was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Monday, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

The Rangers are labeling backup catcher Robinson Chirinos as day-to-day after X-rays on his sprained left ankle came back negative, but Nicholas will still earn his first call-up of the season to act as insurance behind the plate. Jonathan Lucroy is slated to handle the bulk of the duties at catcher, so Nicholas won't be in line for more than a start or two a week even if it's determined that Chirinos will require a trip to the disabled list. Nicholas is batting .311/.353/.469 over 293 plate appearances this season at Round Rock.

Gomes is out of the lineup Monday against the Reds.

Gomes will retreat to the bench following two straight turns behind the dish, allowing Roberto Perez to draw the start at catcher. In six appearances since the All-Star break, Gomes has gone 4-for-21 with a home run and two RBI.

Contreras hit his 15th home run of the season in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Cardinals.

The catcher's two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth inning broke a 3-3 tie and propelled the Cubs to their eighth win in the last nine games. Contreras has been going deep rather frequently, as Sunday's blast marked the third time he's left the yard in the last four games -- a span that's also featured seven RBI.

Barnes hit a three-run home run as a part of a 2-for-4 showing Sunday against the Braves.

Barnes managed to open up the scoring in the fourth inning off Atlanta starter Sean Newcomb by belting an 0-2 offering over the fence. The 27-year-old catcher boasts a .944 OPS in his limited playing time, although his fantasy upside is limited as long as he's behind Yasmani Grandal in the pecking order behind the plate in Los Angeles. However, given how well he performs in his few opportunities, Barnes is a decent option in deeper two-catcher leagues.