MLB Player News

Plawecki was placed on the COVID-19 Related Injured List on Monday.

It's unclear if Plawecki tested positive for the virus, but one way or another he will give up his roster spot for the time being. Connor Wong was recalled from Triple-A Worcester to take Plawecki's place.

The Rangers placed Garver (forearm) on the 60-day injured list Monday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Garver's move to the IL was an expected development after he underwent season-ending surgery earlier Monday to address a right forearm injury that had lingered since early May. He'll conclude his first season in Texas with a .207 average, 10 home runs, one stolen base, 24 RBI and 23 runs across 215 plate appearances. Now that Garver is out of the mix, expect the Rangers to take a platoon approach to the designated hitter spot, with the lefty-hitting Brad Miller likely to get most of the initial opportunities.

The Rangers recalled Huff from Triple-A Round Rock on Monday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Huff becomes one of three catchers on the Rangers' 26-man active roster, joining Jonah Heim and Meibrys Viloria. While Heim is locked in as the Rangers' No. 1 backstop and should play on a near-everyday basis, the righty-hitting Huff could get the chance to handle a short-side platoon role at designated hitter after Mitch Garver (forearm) was moved to the 60-day injured list upon undergoing season-ending surgery. The lefty-hitting Brad Miller is expected to get the first crack at replacing Garver in the lineup, though Miller likely won't be included in the lineup versus southpaws.

Hedges will sit Monday against the White Sox.

Hedges will get a breather Monday after he went 0-for-3 with a strikeout Sunday against the Royals. Luke Maile will take over behind the plate and bat eighth in the series opener Monday.

Garver's wife, Sarah, confirmed via her personal Instagram account that her husband underwent successful surgery Monday to repair the flexor tendon of his right forearm.

Even though Garver and the team came to the mutual decision a few days ago that he would get season-ending surgery to address an injury that has lingered since early May, the 31-year-old was allowed to play in the Rangers' weekend series against the Twins, his former team. Garver went 0-for-3 with a walk in Sunday's 6-5 loss and will end the season with a .207/.298/.404 slash line to go with 10 home runs, one stolen base, 24 RBI and 23 runs across 215 plate appearances. He had been limited strictly to serving as a designated hitter since returning May 19 from his initial stint on the injured list, but he should be fully ready to resume catching duties by next spring. Expect the Rangers to formally place Garver on the 10-day IL or 60-day IL in advance of Monday's game against the Athletics.

The Rays added Bethancourt to the 26-man active roster ahead of Monday's game against the Red Sox.

The Rays acquired Bethancourt from the Athletics on Saturday, but the team waited a couple days to make a corresponding transaction to create room for him on the active roster. With Rene Pinto heading to Triple-A Durham on Monday, Bethancourt is expected to step in as the No. 2 backstop behind Francisco Mejia while Mike Zunino (shoulder) is on the injured list. The righty-hitting Bethancourt also picked up reps at first base and designated hitter during his time in Oakland and could make starts versus left-handed pitching at either spot for the platoon-happy Rays.

The Rays optioned Pinto to Triple-A Durham on Monday.

Pinto was sent to the minors after Tampa Bay added another catcher to their ranks in Christian Bethancourt, whom the team acquired from the Athletics over the weekend. Though he had seemed to work his way into a timeshare behind the plate with Francisco Mejia while Mike Zunino (shoulder) has been on the shelf, Pinto didn't perform well enough to stick around as a third backstop. Over his month-long stay with the big club, Pinto slashed .205/.225/.282 across 12 games.

Rutschman went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and two runs scored in Sunday's 9-5 win over the Angels.

Rutschman has found a little consistency at the plate again with hits in five of his last seven games. He's gone 6-for-19 (.316) with seven walks in that span. The catcher has lifted his batting average from .206 to .221 during this stretch of success, and he has a .714 OPS with four home runs, 12 RBI, 22 runs scored, a stolen base and 13 doubles through 41 contests this year.

Vazquez went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and an additional run and RBI in an 11-6 win against the Yankees on Sunday.

Vazquez tagged New York starter Jameson Taillon for a solo shot in the third inning and tacked on an RBI double followed by a run in the fifth. The backstop has now tallied three multi-hit games through eight July contests and is 10-for-34 with two doubles and a homer in that span.

Stassi went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer and a strikeout during Sunday's 9-5 loss to the Orioles.

Stassi sat out twice in the last three games, but he helped to bring the Angels within four runs during the eighth inning Sunday. In spite of his sporadic playing time, he's recorded two extra-base hits over the last three games and has gone 3-for-9 with a homer, a double, three runs, two RBI and two walks during that time.