MLB Player News

Perez (quadriceps) may be available as a pinch hitter by the end of the Royals' weekend series against the Indians, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star reports.

Perez continued to participate in some light conditioning work Thursday for the second day in a row and he resumed throwing. While his arm is not the issue, Dodd reports that Perez is still having some difficulty getting down into his catching stance. The hope is that Perez will be able to come in as a pinch hitter over the weekend, but there's still no word on when the All-Star will be able to get back behind the plate.

McCann is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees.

He started five of the Tigers' final six games of May, but is now set to sit for a second straight game to begin June. McCann is just 1-for-his-last-10 and 3-for-his-last-18, with his season batting line sitting at an ugly .150/.200/.188. Jarrod Saltalamacchia isn't hitting or getting on base at a good clip either, but at least he can provide some pop.

Casali went 2-for-3 with a double, a solo homer and a walk against the Royals on Wednesday.

The backstop had one more hit Wednesday than he'd collected in his prior nine appearances combined, as he's struggled mightily this year. He does have six homers in 106 at-bats, which isn't bad, but that .170 average is a major drain. That said, some BABIP normalization should at least bring him over the Mendoza Line in time.

Stephenson is on the the minor league 7-day DL at Low-A Dayton with a left wrist sprain, according to Reds Assistant Director of Media Relations, Jamie Ramsey.

Stephenson, the Reds' first-round pick in 2015, has really struggled at Dayton this year, hitting .196/.267/.272 in 92 at-bats.

Perez (quadriceps) took light swings and did some light running Wednesday, the Kansas City Star's Rustin Dodd reports.

He is expected to be sidelined for at least a few more days, with Drew Butera getting the bulk of the work behind the plate.

Maldonado went 1-for-3 with a homer in Wednesday's 3-1 win over St. Louis.

Maldonado's homer was a bright spot in an otherwise poor season so far as he's batted .091 coming into Wednesday's game. He's only started 10 games this year with Jonathan Lucroy receiving most of the catching duties which has likely resulted in the 29-year-old not finding his groove yet.

Barnhart is not in the lineupfor Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

Barnhart will get a rest after catching four consecutive days in games against the Brewers and Rockies. The 25-year-old is hitting .240/.292/.339 with one home run and nine RBI this season and will likely be back behind the plate Thursday.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Chicago.

Grandal started the previous two games so it appears to be just a routine day off for him. The Dodgers are going with A.J. Ellis behind the plate in place of the 27-year-old catcher. Grandal, who hasn't recorded a multi-hit game since May 4, will likely be back in the lineup for Thursday's series-finale.

Gomes is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rangers.

He started the last five games, and will get a rest Wednesday with Chris Gimenez getting the start behind the dish. Gomes has been pretty awful this season, and while a .188 BABIP is a notable factor, he is now closing in on a .200 average over his last 134 games, dating back to last season.

Plawecki is out of the lineup for Wednesday's matchup with the White Sox.

Plawecki continues to alternate starts with Rene Rivera while Travis d'Arnaud recovers from a shoulder injury. While nothing is set in stone, it looks like the two will continue splitting the catching duties in some fashion as long as d'Arnaud is out.