MLB Player News

Knizner wrapped up the first half of the season with a .178/.267/.222 slash line, four doubles, two RBI, nine walks and 11 runs across 101 plate appearances over 36 games.

Heading into the season, the company line was that ageless backstop Yadier Molina would finally begin to cut down on his typically voluminous workload to a degree, which would lead to more consistent opportunities for Knizner. That said, while Knizner has already doubled up on his previous career high of 18 games, it's worth noting at least 14 of his appearances thus far have been a direct result of Molina's injury-related absences, and Knizner finished the first half logging only two starts from June 22 onward. However, Molina did skip the All-Star Game to rest a nagging foot injury, so there may be opportunities for Knizner to draw some starts early in the second half.

Perez (back) will start at catcher and bat seventh for the American League in Tuesday's All-Star Game at Coors Field, Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Perez dealt with back tightness in Saturday's 2-1 loss to Cleveland and sat out Sunday's series finale as a result, but the injury won't prevent him from taking part in the Midsummer Classic. The 31-year-old backstop earned his seventh All-Star nod after slashing .275/.300/.501 with 21 home runs, 53 RBI and 41 runs in 89 first-half games.

Bart was optioned back to Triple-A Sacramento following Sunday's win over Washington, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Bart was brought up to the 26-man roster Saturday and notched two singles, one RBI and a run scored in Saturday's win. He'll now continue to get reps in Sacramento while the big club is on break. It's possible that the backstop rejoins the 26-man roster for Friday's game against the Cardinals, but that decision will likely depend on whether Buster Posey (thumb) is ready to be activated from the injured list.

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Rangers.

Murphy popped a home run in his second straight game as part of a four-homer day for the Athletics. The 26-year-old catcher has showcased some nice power and ended the weekend with an RBI in three consecutive games. He'll head into the All-Star break slashing .222/.313/.427 with 12 homers, 31 runs scored and leading all players at his position with 43 RBI.

Rogers went 1-for-2 with a grand slam, two walks and two runs scored in Sunday's 12-9 extra-inning loss to the Twins.

Rogers blasted a 421-foot grand slam to give Detroit a 9-8 lead in the ninth inning but the Twins would eventually walk it off in the 10th. The 26-year-old catcher is up to six homers on the year, including three over his last nine appearances. Rogers is sporting an impressive .791 OPS through 35 games this season.

Sanchez went 1-for-5 with a three-run homer, a walk and two runs scored in Sunday's 8-7 loss to Houston.

Sanchez's three-run shot in the eighth inning was his 15th of the season and first of July. He entered Sunday's contest stuck in a 1-for-23 rut in six appearances this month. The slugging catcher raised his OPS to .785 through 268 plate appearances.

Casali went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run, two walks and a strikeout in a 3-1 win against the Nationals on Sunday.

Casali accounted for all three San Francisco runs with his second-inning shot to center off Nationals' starter Erick Fedde and later walked in both the third and sixth innings. The backstop has been performing admirably in the absence of Buster Posey and concludes the first half with a .220/.336/.404 slash line in 42 games. Moreover, his 11.6 BB% would be among the league leaders if Casali had enough at-bats to qualify.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Mets.

Making his third start in the last four games, Perez contributed a fifth-inning solo shot with his only hit. The 28-year-old is up to six homers, 13 RBI and 10 runs scored despite a .140/.216/.333 slash line through 125 plate appearances. He will likely continue to serve as Jacob Stallings' backup at catcher.

Jeffers was removed in the bottom of the fifth inning of Sunday's game against the Tigers with a left knee contusion, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. He walked in his lone plate appearance before departing.

Provided follow-up tests on Jeffers' knee reveal nothing else concerning, he should be ready to go when the Twins return from the All-Star break to play a doubleheader in Detroit on Friday. Ben Rortvedt will catch the remainder of Sunday's contest.

Jansen went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 3-1 win over Tampa Bay.

The catcher went deep in the third inning off Rays starter Rich Hill. It was Jansen's first long ball since he homered in three consecutive days May 6-8. The 26-year-old is up to four homers, nine RBI, 15 runs scored and a .168/.256/.303 slash line across 134 plate appearances.