MLB Player News

Perez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Blue Jays.

The veteran catcher took Max Scherzer deep in the sixth inning, giving Perez his fifth straight 20-homer campaign and the ninth of his Hall of Fame career. The 35-year-old has been getting plenty of work at first base and DH this season to preserve his legs, but with Freddy Fermin now a Padre, Perez might need to be behind the plate more often over the final two months unless the Royals decide top prospect Carter Jensen, who has eight homers in his first 24 Triple-A games, is ready for his big-league debut.

Heineman was removed from Saturday's game against the Royals with a head contusion, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Heineman was hit by a pitch in the third inning and took a foul tip off his catcher's mask shortly afterward in the fourth, which ultimately ended his day behind the plate. The team is currently labeling his injury as a contusion, though the 34-year-old backstop will likely be evaluated for a concussion.

Bailey is not in the Giants' starting lineup against the Mets on Saturday.

Bailey will get a breather after going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Friday's extra-inning win over the Mets. Andrew Knizner will serve behind the dish and bat eighth.

Wells isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Marlins, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Wells will use Saturday to rest after going 1-for-5 with a run scored during Friday's high-scoring loss. While Wells sits, Ben Rice will catch for starter Cam Schlittler and bat sixth.

Alvarez (head) will start at catcher and bat eighth Saturday against the Giants.

Alvarez was struck in the helmet by a foul tip Wednesday and was held out of Friday's series opener, but he never suffered any concussion symptoms and has been given the green light to return to the starting lineup. Alvarez has gone 6-for-21 (.286) with one triple, one home run and two RBI in the seven games since being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on July 21.

Goodman is not in the Rockies' starting lineup against the Pirates on Saturday.

Goodman will get a breather while Austin Nola serves behind home plate and bats eighth. In 11 games since the All-Star break, Goodman has gone 13-for-45 (.289) with two doubles, three home runs and nine RBI.

Kelly is not in the Cubs' starting lineup against the Orioles on Saturday.

Kelly will take a seat after going 2-for-3 with a run in Friday's 1-0 win over Baltimore. Reese McGuire will serve behind home plate and bat eighth.

Smith isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rays, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Smith will rest his legs Saturday after tallying four hits, two RBI and two runs scored over his last three games. Dalton Rushing will replace him behind the plate and bat eighth.

Bailey went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Friday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Mets.

Bailey lined a double to right field in the seventh inning, driving in a run to give the Giants a 3-0 lead. He then added a single in the ninth, marking his fourth multi-hit performance in 12 games since the All-Star break. During that span, he's slashing .244/.273/.317 with three RBI, three doubles and two runs scored across 45 plate appearances.

Bart went 0-for-1 with four walks, two runs and an RBI in Friday's 17-16 loss to the Rockies.

Bart has now drawn at least one walk in each of his last four starts to bring his on-base percentage up from .327 to .355 for the season. The Pirates are continuing to use Bart in a timeshare behind the dish with Henry Davis, and the arrangement will likely continue for the balance of the season unless one of the two catchers dramatically outperforms the other.