MLB Player News

Knizner will return to the bench for Monday's game against the Cubs, Bally Sports Midwest reports.

With Yadier Molina (personal) coming off the restricted list Monday and stepping back in as the Cardinals' No. 1 catcher, Knizner's brief run atop the depth chart comes to an end. Knizner was behind the plate for both of the Cardinals' final two games of the weekend series in Arizona and went 3-for-7 with a double, two walks and four runs.

Herrera was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

Herrera was called up Saturday to provide depth behind the dish, but he didn't appear in either of the last two games. While he'll remain on the taxi squad, the 22-year-old will lose his spot on the active roster after Yadier Molina (personal) was reinstated from the restricted list.

Stassi is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rays.

Stassi was behind the plate for the final two games of the Angels' weekend series in Detroit, but he was on the bench for consecutive games Wednesday and Friday while he works through a prolonged slump at the plate. He didn't take much of a meaningful step forward over the weekend by going 1-for-8, and he's now slashing .088/.139/.088 with a 27.8 percent strikeout rate over his last nine games. Kurt Suzuki will step in at catcher Tuesday and could work his way into a timeshare arrangement with Stassi if the latter's bat fails to heat up anytime soon.

Sanchez will sit Monday versus the Rangers.

Sanchez will take a seat for a second straight game Monday. Sandy Leon will start again behind the plate and bat ninth in the series finale.

White Sox manager Tony La Russa said that Grandal (knee) was able to take some swings in the batting cage Monday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Grandal was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday after suffering what initially appeared to be a significant injury in Saturday's win over the Guardians, but the 33-year-old already looks to be making tremendous strides in his recovery just a couple days later. Taking swings in the cage likely presents fewer complications for Grandal compared to running the bases and playing catcher, but the fact that he hasn't been shut down from activity at least bodes well for him making a quick return from the IL. The White Sox are currently expecting Grandal to be sidelined for around 10-to-14 days with the left knee strain.

Raleigh entered Sunday's loss to the Athletics as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning and remained in the game at catcher, going 2-for-2 with an RBI double, another two-bagger and a run.

Raleigh ignited a two-run rally for the Mariners upon entering in the sixth inning, lacing a pinch-hit double to deep left that plated Dylan Moore. The hot-hitting backstop followed it up with his 17th two-bagger of the season and 36th extra-base hit overall in the ninth, only to be left stranded by Julio Rodriguez and Ty France to end the game. Factoring in Sunday's production, Raleigh now boasts a .306 average and 1.069 OPS across the 40 plate appearances encompassing his last 11 games.

Smith went 3-for-5 with a double, three RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 10-3 win over the Marlins.

Smith hit an RBI single in the first, plated another run with a ground rule double in the fourth and added another RBI single in the eighth. He's logged at least one RBI in nine of his last 12 games, going 14-for-45 (.311) with 17 RBI and 10 runs scored in that span. The catcher's productive run has him up to .274/.360/.479 slash line with 18 home runs, 73 RBI, 53 runs scored, 21 doubles and a stolen base through 103 contests.

Langeliers went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, one RBI and one run scored in Sunday's win over Seattle.

Langeliers got the start at catcher Sunday and made the most of it with the first multi-hit game of his young career. The rookie is now slashing .316/.300/.737 since being called up Aug. 16. It has not been all great for the rookie, however, as with another strikeout Sunday, he has struck out in each of the five games he has started and failed to record a walk, leading to his average being higher than his on-base percentage.

Murphy went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Sunday's 5-3 victory over the Mariners.

The 27-year-old continued his torrid August with two more hits Sunday to improve his average to .328 in the month. This stretch has pushed Murphy to second among all catchers in hits and third in RBI. Murphy continues to prove that he is an upper-tier backstop, and it will be interesting to see how the Athletics split playing time between him and emerging rookie Shea Langeliers, especially as Murphy is several years removed from free agency.

Serven went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's extra-innings loss to the Giants.

Serven's sixth home run of the season was a two-run shot to tie the game 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning. The 27-year-old has started 10 of the last 11 games for the Rockies since primary catcher Elias Diaz went down with a wrist injury. Serven is hitting just .229 on the season, but he owned a .265 average at Coors Field entering the afternoon, so he could be a serviceable option at catcher during weeks the Rockies are at home.