MLB Player News

Realmuto is not starting Tuesday against the Cubs.

Realmuto bounced back from a 1-for-15 skid at the plate during Sunday's loss to the Rockies, going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored. He'll get a day off to start the series against Chicago as Andrew Knapp slots in behind the plate and bats eighth.

Sanchez went 1-for-2 with an RBI single in an extra-inning victory over Minnesota on Monday.

Sanchez pinch hit for Kyle Higashioka in the eighth inning and flied out to left field. His second at-bat was much more impactful, as the backstop produced a walkoff single in the bottom of the 10th. The RBI was only his second in his past six games, a stretch during which he has gone 2-for-19 with four strikeouts.

Perez (shoulder) was activated off the injured list Tuesday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Perez has been out since early August while battling shoulder inflammation, but he's ready to go after appearing in eight rehab contests. Austin Hedges will start behind the plate in the first half of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Twins, but Perez will likely return to the lineup for the nightcap. Ryan Lavarnway is no longer needed with Perez back in action, so he was designated for assignment to clear space on the roster.

Zavala was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.

Zavala had been in the majors since early July, first sharing the catcher spot with Zack Collins while Yasmani Grandal was out with a knee injury and then serving as Grandal's backup with Collins heading to the minors. He hasn't done much in 104 plate appearances, hitting just .183/.240/.376, so the White Sox elected to recall Collins to fill the backup spot and send Zavala back to the minors.

Nola will sit Monday against the Giants.

Nola has stumbled to a .186/.205/.209 line over his last 12 games. Victor Caratini will catch Yu Darvish on Monday, as he's done in all of Darvish's starts this season.

Smith will not start Monday's game against the Diamondbacks, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

With Clayton Kershaw returning from a forearm injury Monday, expect Smith's off days to follow a consistent pattern going forward. Kershaw has thrown to personal catcher Austin Barnes in 16 of his 18 starts so far this season and will do so again this time around.

Nido (thumb) rejoined his teammates Monday but won't be activated until Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Nido is nearly ready to return from the thumb sprained which has sidelined him for all of September, but he evidently needs one more day before he's ready to go. He'll serve as James McCann's backup behind the plate down the stretch.

Heim will sit Monday against Houston.

Heim and Jose Trevino continue to split time fairly evenly behind the plate. Heim's .202/.240/.366 season slash line doesn't make a great case for a larger share of the available starts, though neither does Trevino's .232/.262/.325 performance.

Maldonado will sit Monday against the Rangers, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Maldonado continues to handle a very heavy workload behind the plate despite his .171/.272/.296 season slash line. He started 15 of the Astros' last 16 games heading into Monday but will rest here with Garrett Stubbs set to catch Jake Odorizzi.

Ruiz (head) is starting Monday's game against the Marlins, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Ruiz missed Sunday's game against the Pirates after he was hit in the helmet by a pitch Saturday, but he avoided a concussion. The 23-year-old is participating in pregame drills and will be back in action following his brief absence.