MLB Player News

Perez (groin) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's contest versus the White Sox.

Perez will miss a second straight start after being diagnosed with a Grade 1 left groin strain. He intends to attempt to play through the injury, but with an afternoon game Wednesday representing the Royals' final game of their road trip, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Perez at least held out until Friday following Thursday's off day. Freddy Fermin will catch Tuesday.

Grandal (foot) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Grandal has been dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot since early March but is finally ready to test things out in a game setting. Henry Davis has struggled in the early going, so the Pirates seem likely to stick with their original plan of splitting catching duties between Davis and Grandal once the latter is ready.

Kirk is expected to move to the bench for Tuesday's game against the Yankees and will likely lose out on starts to Danny Jansen (wrist), who was reinstated from the injured list Monday, ESPN.com reports.

Between wins over the Rockies on Sunday and Yankees on Monday, Kirk reached base seven times, but he's still put together an underwhelming .200/.293/.220 slash line through 58 plate appearances while operating as the Blue Jays' primary backstop so far this season. Though Jansen remained on the bench Monday, he's on track to make his season debut Tuesday and looks poised to handle the larger portion of a timeshare behind the plate with Kirk. Jansen is the more polished defender of the two, and though Kirk has an All-Star appearance and Silver Slugger on his resume, he's been a slightly below league-average hitter since the start of the 2023 season (91 wRC+, .301 wOBA over 480 plate appearances).

Jansen (wrist) is expected to join the Toronto lineup and make his season debut in Tuesday's game against the Yankees, ESPN.com reports.

After missing the first two and a half weeks of the season while recovering from a fractured right wrist suffered in a March 13 spring training game, Jansen was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Monday. He didn't play in Monday's series-opening 3-1 victory, however, as Alejandro Kirk drew the nod behind the plate and went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Though Kirk has now reached base seven times over the Blue Jays' last two games, he's still slashing an ugly .200/.293/.220 through 58 plate appearances. Given that he's regarded as the superior defender of the two catchers and in light of Kirk's struggles at the dish, Jansen is expected to emerge as the Blue Jays' No. 1 backstop now that he's healthy.

Heim is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's contest in Detroit.

He will sit out the afternoon tilt while Andrew Knizner does the catching for Jon Gray. Heim is sporting a .719 OPS with two home runs and 11 RBI in his first 15 games this season.

Murphy (oblique) has started light throwing but has yet to be cleared to run or swing a bat, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Murphy's progress from a Grade 1 left oblique strain has been slow, but he's starting to ramp up his activity level a bit. He is not close to beginning a rehab assignment, however, so a return before the end April might not happen. Travis d'Arnaud will continue to be Atlanta's primary catcher while Murphy recuperates.

Heim went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 1-0 win over the Tigers.

Heim doubled and scored the game's only run in the fifth inning and has hit safely in four consecutive games. The steal, which is not a big part of his game, was his first of the season. Heim has a career seven stolen bases over 368 MLB games.

The Nationals placed Ruiz (illness) on the 10-day injured list Monday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Ruiz hadn't played since April 8 while recovering from influenza, but the Nationals could no longer afford to go on with just one healthy catcher (Riley Adams) heading into Monday's series opener in Los Angeles. Since Ruiz's placement on the IL is retroactive last Friday, he'll be eligible for activation as soon as next Sunday. Drew Millas was called up from Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move, but Adams is expected to see the bulk of the starts behind the plate while Ruiz is on the shelf.

The Nationals recalled Millas from Triple-A Rochester on Monday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Millas was previously called up April 10 and started that game against the Giants at catcher, going 1-for-3, before heading right back to Triple-A. This latest move corresponds with Washington placing fellow catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) on the 10-day IL, retroactive to April 12, so Millas should stick with the big-league club for a week or so.

The Marlins placed Bethancourt on the 10-day injured list Monday due to a viral illness, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Bethancourt missed Sunday's game against Atlanta due to the illness, and his placement on the IL suggests the Marlins weren't counting on him being available for their three-game series with the Giants to begin the week. Provided he's able to resume working out in the next few days, Bethancourt could be ready to return from the IL when first eligible April 24. In a corresponding move, the Marlins selected Jhonny Pereda's contract from Triple-A Jacksonville on Monday. Pereda will likely serve as the No. 2 catcher behind Nick Fortes while Bethancourt recovers from his illness.