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.

Knizner will start at catcher and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Phillies.

Though Knizner sat three times during a four-game stretch last week, he appears to have taken back the Cardinals' primary catcher role from Austin Romine. Knizner will be included in the lineup for the third time in four contests despite having produced an .096 batting average dating back to the start of June.

General manager Dave Dombrowski said that Realmuto will be placed on the restricted list Tuesday ahead of the Phillies' two-game series in Toronto, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto, third baseman Alec Bohm and starting pitchers Aaron Nola and Kyle Gibson will all be deactivated Tuesday since none of the four are eligible to cross the Canadian border due to their vaccination statuses. Before the Toronto trip, the Phillies will wrap up their four-game series in St. Louis on Monday, and Realmuto will start at catcher and bat fifth in that contest.

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.

Perez is not in the starting lineup Monday against the Marlins.

Perez will sit for a second game in a row Monday as the Pirates face lefty Trevor Rogers. Jason Delay will start again at catcher and bat ninth in the series opener.

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.

Nido will start at catcher and bat ninth in Monday's game in Atlanta, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Nido will make his second consecutive start and should act as the Mets' No. 1 catcher for the foreseeable future after James McCann was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with an oblique strain that manager Buck Showalter said will keep the veteran backstop sidelined for "weeks." With that being the case, it wouldn't be surprising if the Mets looked outside of the organization for catching help ahead of the Aug. 2 deadline, as Nido is probably best suited for a backup role. Though he draws praise for his abilities as a game caller and pitch framer, Nido has been a well below league-average hitter (51 wRC+) over parts of six seasons in the majors.

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.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.

Though he was named to the National League's All-Star team Sunday, Contreras remains a part-time player for Atlanta. With Travis d'Arnaud locked in as Atlanta's No. 1 catcher and with Marcell Ozuna secure as the team's everyday designated hitter now that the team is back to full strength in the outfield, Contreras could struggle to receive more than three or four starts during Atlanta's final seven games before the All-Star break.

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.