Player Notes

Joe Mauer went 3-for-5 with a home run in the Twins' 7-5 victory over the White Sox on Tuesday.
Advice: Mauer hit a two-run homer in the first inning and later doubled off White Sox starter Dylan Axelrod, falling a triple short of the cycle. The two RBI gave him 23 on the season to go with a .327/.412/.492 line. And the homer was his seventh, giving him a fair chance to eclipse his total of 10 in 2012. If he finishes with his current slugging percentage it would actually be his third-highest all-time among full seasons.

John Jaso hit his second home run of the season as the A's beat the Rangers on Tuesday.
Advice: Jaso doesn't put a charge in one often, so it's even more surprising when he hits one off the likes of Rangers starter Yu Darvish. In fact, Jaso's game is so predicated on getting on base that he actually owns a higher OBP than slugging percentage, sporting a .281/.379/.371 line for the year.

Brian McCann is not in the starting lineup for the first time of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Mets.
Advice: Gerald Laird will start behind the dish and catch rookie left-hander Alex Wood. McCann should be back in there for the second game.
More: Adam Rubin on Twitter

Phillies optioned C Steven Lerud to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Advice: The move clears a spot for Carlos Ruiz (hamstring) to return from the disabled list. Lerud went 0-for-5 in six games during his brief stint with the big club.

Phillies activated C Carlos Ruiz from the 15-day disabled list.
Advice: Ruiz was originally slated to return on Friday, but apparently two rehab games was enough to convince the Phillies that he's ready. Out since May 19 due to a right hamstring strain, the veteran backstop returns to a .235/.286/.275 batting line in 16 games this season.

J.P. Arencibia went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run as the Blue Jays beat the Rockies on Tuesday.
Advice: The homer was Arencibia's third in four games and his 15th on the season. His .222/.243/.461 line is indicative of Arencibia's game -- he doesn't hit for average, he doesn't walk, but when he makes contact it goes a long way.

Rangers recalled C Robinson Chirinos from Triple-A Round Rock.
Advice: Chirinos will provide depth off the Rangers' bench. He has three hits in 12 big-league at-bats this year.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland reiterated Tuesday that Victor Martinez will not catch unless there's an emergency.
Advice: Leyland has already said it on multiple occasions, but the topic was raised again after Alex Avila (forearm) was placed on the disabled list Monday. "I won't catch Victor unless it's some freak situation," said Leyland. The Tigers will go with Brayan Pena and Bryan Holaday behind the plate for now.
More: Chris Iott on Twitter

Red Sox recalled C Ryan Lavarnway from Triple-A Pawtucket.
Advice: He'll provide catching depth while David Ross is out. Lavarnway has two hits in eight at-bats for the Red Sox this season.

Anthony Recker hit his second home run of the season Tuesday in the Mets' defeat of the Braves.
Advice: The two-run shot in the top of the seventh inning broke a 0-0 tie and put Zack Wheeler in line for his first major league win. Recker doesn't play much behind John Buck and will likely be sent to Triple-A Las Vegas when prospect Travis d'Arnaud is ready to contribute.

John Buck hit his first homer since May 24 and just his second since May 3 in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Braves.
Advice: The solo homer gave the former NL RBI leader his first RBI of June. He's hitting .222 in 45 at-bats this month.

Mets prospect catcher Travis d'Arnaud (foot) has been cleared to begin running.
Advice: Excellent news for d'Arnaud, who has been sidelined since mid-April with a broken bone in his left foot. The 24-year-old backstop is expected to return to game action within 3-4 weeks and should make his major league debut at some point during the second half.
More: Jay Horwitz on Twitter

A.J. Pierzynski had a two-run homer and an RBI double against the A's on Monday.
Advice: Pierzynski is batting .357 in 15 games this month, though he had driven in just two runs until racking up three RBI tonight. He's hitting .305 with six homers in 177 at-bats for the season, which is pretty good for someone who spent a couple of weeks on the DL.

Tigers recalled C Bryan Holaday from Triple-A Toledo.
Advice: Holaday will replace Alex Avila (forearm) on the active roster. The 25-year-old backstop was batting .259/.317/.386 in 47 games at Triple-A this season and figures to backup Brayan Pena for now.

Yasmani Grandal hit a three-run homer, his first of the season, in Saturday's 6-4 victory over the Diamondbacks.
Advice: He also walked in the game. Grandal's bat had been limp since he was activated from a 50-game suspension for testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone. He entered Saturday's game hitting .178/.283/.222 over 45 at-bats. The Cuban hit eight home runs in 192 at-bats last season.

Miguel Montero went 2-for-3 with a homer, a walk and two RBI Saturday against the Padres.
Advice: Montero entered June with a .199 average and .571 OPS. He's given owners sporadic reasons for optimism this month, batting .304 over 46 at-bats. Montero is 6-for-12 in his last three games.

Twins optioned C Chris Herrmann to Triple-A Rochester.
Advice: Herrmann merely provided an additional bat off of the bench while the Twins were dealing with some injuries. He has made a nice impression in a limited sample, hitting .462 (6-for-13) with a homer and four RBI. He's likely to return to the Twins at some point this summer.