MLB Player News

Indians catcher Yan Gomes hit his 21st home run Wednesday against the Royals.

Gomes struck in the first inning. With two men on, Gomes took an 80 mph changeup from Jason Vargas out to center for the three-run shot. He would also walk during the contest. Gomes finished 1 for 3, with one run scored and three RBI. 

Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud was not in the team's starting lineup Wednesday.

d'Arnaud will miss the game due to "ailments." The team did not specify an injury. He's considered doubtful to play Thursday as well. d'Arnaud is hitting .242/.302/.416 over 385 at-bats.

A 19-for-74 stretch might not seem like much, but it's an encouraging run for Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal considering he began it batting .202.

Grandal began the comparative hot stretch on Aug. 26. He has three home runs and 10 RBI in 20 games during that period, but remains a windmill at the plate. He has 19 strikeouts in the last 16 games and has fanned 102 times in 345 at-bats this season.

Ned Yost is blaming anxiousness rather than fatigue for the slump of Royals catcher Salvador Perez. He told the Kansas City Star that Perez is trying too hard with a playoff spot on the line.

Perez has just five hits in his last 45 at-bats and has been hitless in seven of his last 11 games. His .290 on-base percentage is at its lowest point since April 23. He has a dozen strikeouts in the last 10 games.

The Reds have issued a lineup for Wednesday against the host Cubs that one might have expected had they just clinched a playoff spot. Among those set to sit are third baseman Todd Frazier, second baseman Brandon Phillips, shortstop Zack Cozart, center fielder Billy Hamilton, right fielder Jay Bruce and catcher Devin Mesoraco.

None are listed as injured.

The Mets might have an overcrowding problem behind the plate next season, given the progress Travis d'Arnaud and prospect Kevin Plawecki have shown this season.

"If their potential starts to converge at the major league level, and it warrants major league time, then we'll have to make a decision," manager Sandy Alderson told the New York Daily News Tuesday. "But in the meantime, we're happy to have both of them. But Kevin has made a lot of progress, and obviously Travis has done well the second half of this season."

Alderson does not think either player is likely to be used in a backup or reserve role. d'Arnaud is hitting .277/.321/.480 in 177 at-bats since the All-Star break, while Plawecki is hitting .309/.365/.460 in 101 minor-league games while reaching Triple-A. 

The Marlins recalled catcher Jacob Realmuto from Double-A Jacksonville Saturday.

Realmuto is 4 for 20 in seven appearances with the Marlins. He hit .299/.369/.461 with eight home runs, 62 RBI and 18 stolen bases in 375 at-bats.

Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud was given a half day on Thursday because of a sore wrist, ESPN New York reports. D'Arnaud was pulled after four innings for Anthony Recker, who hit a home run in his place against the Nationals.

D'Arnaud is hitting .246 with 13 homers and 38 RBI over 354 at-bats. His status remains uncertain for Friday's game against the Nationals.

The Indians are sitting hot-hitting catcher Yan Gomes for the second game of their doubleheader Thursday against Minnesota. Roberto Perez will be doing the crouching behind the plate instead.

Gomes homered and doubled in the opener.

Yan Gomes continued to prove himself as one of the premier hitting catchers in the game Thursday with Minnesota in town to play the Indians.

Gomes slammed a solo homer in the second inning of the doubleheader opener, then nearly repeated the feat in the third with a bases-loaded double that smacked against the wall. His stat line on the year now stands at .288/.322/.480. That slugging percentage leads all American League catchers.