MLB Player News

Manager AJ Hinch suggested Sunday that Stassi could report to extended spring training this week to begin rehabbing his left knee injury, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Stassi is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list in the middle of the week, but it doesn't sound as though he's made enough progress in his recovery from the sore knee to realistically return in the minimum amount of time. That said, Stassi doesn't look to be on track for a long-term absence, especially if he's able to resume baseball activities within the next few days. Garrett Stubbs will continue to serve as the primary understudy to top catcher Robinson Chirinos until Stassi is deemed ready to rejoin the big club.

Knizer went 0-for-3 in a win over the Cubs on Sunday, his first major-league game.

The young backstop was called up from Triple-A Memphis on Friday following Yadier Molina's placement on the injured list due to a thumb injury. The rookie had been enjoying a solid season with the Redbirds prior to his callup, and although his debut didn't yield his first big-league hit, Knizer did earn strong reviews for his work as Adam Wainwright's battery mate, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. "[Knizner] worked really well with Adam, was prepared, was able to take that preparation to slow the game down and did a fantastic job," manager Mike Shildt said. "I figured he was going to get a shutout and walk by Yadi and [Matt Wieters] like, 'Really?' But no, he did a great job."

Perez (oblique) went 1-for-2 with a run in High-A Charlotte's loss to St. Lucie on Sunday.

Perez played five innings behind the dish before being replaced by Joey Roach. The 26-year-old backstop may need only one more rehab game before potentially being activated for the start of a three-game road series against the Tigers on Tuesday.

Wynns was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday.

Wynns had been splitting time with Pedro Severino behind the plate in Baltimore but had found little success, hitting .233/.283/.256 through 47 plate appearances. His demotion is expected to make room for prospect Chance Sisco to join the major-league roster.

Leon is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Leon started both of the first two games of the series, going 0-for-2 in Friday's opener and 3-for-3 with two RBI in Saturday's 5-3 loss. Despite the uptick in work, Leon still appears to be the clear No. 2 option at catcher behind Christian Vazquez, who will re-enter the lineup Sunday.

Hedges is not in the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Marlins.

Hedges started the last five contests but will be handed a breather after going 2-for-15 with a double and eight strikeouts. Austin Allen will start behind the plate and bat eighth in the series finale.

Barnes (groin) will begin a two-game rehab assignment at High-A Rancho Cucamonga this week before returning to the Dodgers to start Friday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Barnes landed on the injured list May 27 with the left groin issue, so the 29-year-old may need only a quick rehab stint. He was 7-for-16 with two doubles and four RBI in the five games prior to suffering the injury.

Jansen is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

With Jansen failing to catch fire at the plate at any point through the first two-plus months of the season, he's fallen into a timeshare at catcher with Luke Maile. Fortunately for Jansen, Maile has been even more unimpressive in a more limited sample of at-bats, logging a .476 OPS to Jansen's .500. At this point, Toronto seems content to let Jansen work through his struggles at the big-league level.

Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Phillies, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

The Dodgers will continue the trend of sitting Smith every third game, despite his walkoff home run in Saturday. According to David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports, manager Dave Roberts reiterated that the Dodgers will not carry three catchers when Austin Barnes (groin) returns from the injured list, meaning Smith will likely return to Triple-A Oklahoma City to receive consistent at-bats.

Gallagher will start at catcher and bat seventh Sunday against the Rangers, Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City reports.

Gallagher will pick up his 16th start of the season with top backup Martin Maldonado dealing with forearm tightness, which forced his early departure in Saturday's 6-2 loss. Maldonado expects to be good to go following Monday's off day, so Gallagher likely won't be in store for a major boost in playing time in the near future. Gallagher is hitting just .161 over 61 plate appearances this season and probably won't provide much fantasy value even if he ascends into a full-time role at some point.