MLB Player News

Stassi (undisclosed) was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Stassi was held out of the lineup Monday against the Rays and will now join fellow catcher Kurt Suzuki (undisclosed) on the COVID-19 IL. It's unclear if either player has tested positive for the virus, but the Angels are without their top two catchers regardless. Austin Romine was called up in a corresponding move and should split reps behind the plate with Chad Wallach.

Huff was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Huff spent three days on the major-league roster earlier in the season, going 1-for-3 at the plate in his lone game. In 19 games for Round Rock, he's hit .260/.349/.575 with seven homers. He'll back up Jonah Heim behind the plate while Mitch Garver (elbow) is on the injured list.

Garver was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a flexor sprain, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The injury seemingly explains why Garver sat out the Rangers' last two games. His expected return date is not yet clear. Jonah Heim will step into the starting role behind the plate, with Sam Huff getting called up to serve as his backup.

Barnhart will sit for the second half of Tuesday's doubleheader against Oakland.

Barnhart went 2-for-4 in the first game of the day. Eric Haase will take over behind the plate in the second game, catching for Alex Faedo.

Triple-A Salt Lake placed Thaiss on the 7-day injured list Tuesday due to an unspecified issue.

Outfielder Orlando Martinez was called up from Double-A Rocket City to replace Thaiss on the Triple-A roster. Thaiss has hit .226 with three home runs and three stolen bases across 70 plate appearances at Salt Lake this season.

Collins remains on the bench for the third straight game Tuesday against the Yankees.

Collins has had a regular role at times this season but may be falling out of favor. He still owns a 115 wRC+ through 15 games, the product of a .222/.288/.444 slash line, but his 39.0 percent strikeout rate casts doubt on how long he'll be able to remain effective. Alejandro Kirk will be the designated hitter Tuesday, with Tyler Heineman starting behind the plate.

Heim batted cleanup and went 1-for-3 with a walk in Monday's 1-0 loss to the Yankees.

This marked the second time in three games Heim batted fourth, both times coming against left-handers. He's the team's surprising leader in slugging (.634), but It's unclear if this most recent placement in the order is permanent. It could be the result of a condensed three games in a 30-hour stretch, during which manager Chris Woodward gave others a breather. What is known is that Heim is 7-for-13 with a 1.077 slugging percentage against southpaws to start the season.

Stassi will sit Monday against the Rays, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Stassi sits after starting five of the last six games, something he didn't do at any point in April. Chad Wallach will take over behind the plate.

McGuire will start at catcher and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Guardians, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

Injuries to Andrew Vaughn (hand) and Eloy Jimenez (hamstring) have prompted White Sox manager Tony La Russa to deploy Yasmani Grandal as a designated hitter more frequently of late, and McGuire has been one of the primary beneficiaries. McGuire will be catching for the third time in four games and the sixth time in nine contests. Despite playing more frequently than the typical No. 2 catcher, McGuire's paltry .354 OPS on the season has made it tough to wring much fantasy value from him, even in AL-only leagues.

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs in a loss to the Twins on Sunday.

The struggling backstop put an end to a brief 0-for-9 slump with the help of his first extra-base hit since April 29. Murphy's season average and on-base percentage stand at a lackluster .212 and .275, respectively, but he has a somewhat respectable .434 slugging percentage thanks to nine of his 13 hits thus far going for extra bases.