MLB Player News

Perez signed a four-year, $9 million contract extension with the Indians on Sunday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The extension includes a club option for 2021 and 2022, and a breakdown of the deal can be found here. Perez is coming off a 2016 campaign in which he hit .183 and posted an ugly wRC+ of 58 in 61 games played. He'll serve as a backup to Yan Gomes during the 2017 season.

Stewart (groin) was included on the Opening Day roster that the Pirates revealed Sunday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The Pirates' decision not to put Stewart on the 10-day DL to begin the season suggests the team isn't concerned that his groin will be much of an issue going forward. Francisco Cervelli is expected to pick up starts behind the plate in at least the Pirates' first two games of their series with the Red Sox, but Stewart could draw the assignment at catcher for the series finale Wednesday afternoon.

Maile was designated for assignment Sunday, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After deciding to open the season with Derek Norris and Jesus Sucre behind the plate, the Rays optioned Maile to the minor leagues Wednesday. This transaction removes the 26-year-old to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. If he passes through waivers, he'll likely open the season with Triple-A Durham.

Mesoraco (hip) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Sunday.

The DL placement is retroactive to Mar. 30, but it remains possible that Mesoraco may not be ready to return to live action when he's eligible to come off of the disabled list. The 28-year-old is expected to begin the season in extended spring training in order to receive regular at-bats. Tucker Barnhart will fill the starting catcher role in Mesoraco's absence.

Diaz went 1-for-2 in Montreal on Saturday as a minor-league callup.

He hit .286 in 35 spring at-bats. Given the likelihood of injury to Pittsburgh's top two catchers, Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart, there's a good chance Diaz could see considerable playing time in 2017. The 26-year-old features an unexciting slash line of .258/.323/.362 in eight minor-league seasons but batted .312 and .271 in 2014 and 2015, respectively, before getting hurt last year.

Gomes ended his Cactus League campaign with an impressive .370/.426/.696 slash line over 54 plate appearances in 18 games.

Across the board, Gomes' spring numbers were some of the best among his teammates with 40-plus at-bats. The Tribe's top catcher has a history of impressive Cactus League seasons, so his performance doesn't justify inflating his stock prior to Opening Day. On the other hand, Gomes -- who's deservedly earned the "injury-prone" tag over his five years in MLB -- certainly looked healthy in March, and he appears ready to rebound from last season's career-worst .167 batting average.

Garcia has been taken to a local hospital to have his left knee and head-and-neck area examined further, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The 27-year-old backstop was injured in the ninth inning of Saturday's game against the White Sox on a scary home plate collision with Chicago's Nick Delmonico. After several minutes, he was placed onto a stretcher and carted off the field before being taken to the hospital. There is no further word on Garcia's status at this time, but the Brewers will likely have a further update later in the weekend.

Nicholas was placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Nicholas was expected to miss time to start the season after he underwent surgery earlier in March for a torn meniscus in his left knee, so the move was more procedural. He'll serve as organizational depth when he returns.

Garcia (undisclosed) was carted off the field in Saturday's exhibition game against the White Sox, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

This is an extremely unfortunate occurrence for Garcia, who was involved in a home plate collision in the final inning of the Brewers' spring training schedule. He collided with Chicago's Nick Delmonico while trying to field the throw home and bent backwards awkwardly and remained on the ground for several minutes before being transported onto a cart. The Brewers figure to have a statement on the severity of Garcia's injury later in the weekend.

McCann is dealing with a left hand contusion after being hit by a pitch Saturday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

McCann was replaced after being plunked on the wrist, though post-game X-rays revealed there was no structural damage to the wrist, which is good news. Manager Brad Ausmus is expecting McCann to be in the Opening Day lineup, according to Anthony Feneche of the Detroit Free Press. If the 26-year-old is unavailable Monday, Alex Avila would start behind the dish.