MLB Player News

Hedges (neck) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Indians.

Hedges was scratched from Wednesday's lineup due to neck stiffness and will get another day off as Luis Torrens draws the start behind the dish. There hasn't been much word from the Padres concerning Hedges, so he should be considered day-to-day for the time being.

Vazquez is not in the lineup Thursday against the Rays, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports.

As is usually the case when Chris Sale trots to the mound, Vazquez will cede the catching duties to Sandy Leon for the evening. The 26-year-old has cooled off considerably after his scorching hot start, as he's just 11 for his past 61 at-bats.

Mesoraco's shoulder injury is unrelated to his previous torn labrum that ultimately required surgery, according to manager Bryan Price, as told to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.

That's the good news. The bad news is that Mesoraco hurt his shoulder catching the ball, and that anti-inflammatory medicine did not lessen the soreness in his shoulder. While the Reds don't believe this is a long-term injury, how he did it and that he could not get immediate relief don't bode well.

Barnhart is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against Colorado, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Barnhart will take a seat after catching five of the past six games for the Reds. In his place, Stuart Turner is making a rare start behind the plate while batting eighth.

Perez went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in the top of the 10th inning of Wednesday's win over Seattle.

The backstop has been a go-to fantasy asset for years, but 2017 might prove to be his best season. He's sporting a rock-solid .288/.318/.528 slash line with 17 homers, 55 RBI and 36 runs, and his 301 plate appearances lead all catchers. Perez shouldn't have any trouble remaining a high-end contributor moving forward, either.

Perez has been selected for his fifth All-Star Game, and he'll suit up as the American League's starting catcher for the fourth straight season.

Per ESPN.com, Perez will become the first AL catcher to start four consecutive All-Star Games since Hall of Famer Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez. Furthermore, only one time has a Royal been the game's starting catcher (Darrell Porter in 1979) before this run, and Perez joins George Brett as the organization's only players to start consecutive midsummer classics. Entering Wednesday, the veteran backstop was slashing .290/.320/.523 through 76 games. His 16 home runs and 53 RBI are most among all MLB catchers. In his seventh big-league season at age 27, Perez is on pace to shatter career bests in a handful of categories.

According to manager John Gibbons, Maile will require a procedure on the torn meniscus in his right knee, The Associated Press reports.

The Jays were hopeful that surgery might be avoidable, but the skipper's comments made clear that Maile is headed under the knife. Any value that the backup catcher brought to deep leagues is now out the window. The recently acquired Miguel Montero steps in as the new reserve behind Russell Martin.

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

Gomes is set to receive a regular day off after starting the past two games behind the plate for the Indians. In his place, Roberto Perez will catch Trevor Bauer while batting eighth.

Hedges was a late scratch from the lineup Wednesday against the Indians due to neck stiffness, Dennis Lin of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

It's unclear when the injury cropped up or how severe it is, although more information on this front should come forth once word from manager A.J. Green comes forth. Luis Torrens will enter the lineup in his place.

Mesoraco was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a strained left shoulder Wednesday.

Although the afflicted shoulder is on his non-throwing arm, it's noteworthy that this is the same side that was surgically repaired in the past. The embattled catcher will head back to the disabled list for at least 10 days, although it's unclear whether he'll need more time than that or not. Given his injury history, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Reds take things very slowly with Mesoraco. To fill his roster spot, right-hander Ariel Hernandez was recalled from Triple-A.