MLB Player News

Knizner was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Thursday.

Knizner is needed again as the Cardinals' backup catcher after Yadier Molina returned to the injured list with a strained thumb tendon. Knizner has gone 0-for-7 in his first two big-league games but owns a solid .277/.360/.421 slash line for Memphis this season. He'll likely be stuck on the bench behind Matt Wieters for most games until Molina returns.

Stallings figures to stick in the big leagues following the announcement that Francisco Cervelli (concussion) will no longer catch in the major leagues, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

The 29-year-old, who is out of options, cleared waivers earlier in the season. He would likely take over starting duties in the event of injury to Elias Diaz. While Diaz will start behind the plate, Stallings has showed unexpected offense (.327 in 52 at-bats) in his limited play. He's caught Joe Musgrove's last three starts and continues to play an increasing role with the team -- he's started five of the team's last 11 contests. Stallings is considered a defense-first backstop, but he did slash .265/.317/.408 in parts of four Triple-A campaigns.

Diaz is expected to serve as the Pirates' starting catcher following the announcement that Francisco Cervelli (concussion) will no longer serve as a catcher in the major leagues, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

Diaz, who's started since late May when Cervelli was concussed, will likely handle the bulk of catching duties with Jacob Stallings backing him up. Although he's hit one just homer after belting 10 in 2018, Diaz is slashing .311/.367/.407 in his last 150 plate appearances. His defense has fallen off, however. Last year, Diaz compiled a minus-2 DRS. This year, he ranks 68th out of 70 catchers (minimum of 100 innings played) with a minus-11 DRS, trailing both Stallings (plus-4 DRS) and Cervelli (plus-1 DRS). For that reason, Diaz could lose some playing time to Stallings in defensive situations.

Wallach (concussion) will advance his rehab to Triple-A New Orleans on Wednesday, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

Wallach has gone 0-for-5 in a pair of rehab contests so far. He looks to be closing in on a return early in the second half, though it's not clear if he'll be ahead of Bryan Holaday in the battle for the Marlins' backup catching job.

Wong went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and three RBI for High-A Rancho Cucamonga on Monday.

After hitting 19 homers in 102 games in the California League last season, the backstop has continued to showcase impressive power in his second season with the Quakes, as this marked his 15th long ball in 261 at-bats. Despite the consistent power numbers, Wong's plate discipline still leaves a bit to be desired, as he's sporting a 20:89 BB:K which has contributed to a pedestrian .245 batting average. The 23-year-old will likely need to improve that aspect of his game to really bolster his case to move up in the Dodgers system.

Wallach (concussion) will play the second game of his rehab assignment Tuesday with High-A Jupiter.

Wallach went 0-for-2 in his first rehab contest Saturday. A concussion has kept him out of action since late May. Bryan Holaday has hit .311/.404/.489 in 16 games as the Marlins' backup this season and could keep Wallach from reclaiming his spot once healthy.

Narvaez went 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four RBI in a loss to Oakland on Sunday.

Narvaez drove in all four Seattle runs in the loss, sandwiching solo home runs in the second and eighth innings around run-scoring singles in the fourth and sixth. The multi-homer game was the first of his career and the four hits established a career single-game high. Narvaez enters the All-Star break with 14 home runs -- the most ever by a Mariners catcher before the break -- along with 36 runs batted in and a .294/.366/.486 slash line in 255 at-bats.

Vazquez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's win over the Tigers.

Vazquez delivered a two-run blast over the fence in right during the second inning, putting Boston ahead 2-1. He's been red-hot at the dish heading into the All-Star break, racking up seven extra-base hits (including four homers) over his last seven contests.

Mejia is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Mejia started the last two games in Los Angeles but heads to the bench after going 2-for-8 with three strikeouts. Austin Hedges will start behind the plate and bat eighth for the Friars.

Thaiss will start at third base and bat seventh Sunday against the Astros, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Though Thaiss didn't play the hot corner much during his time in the minors, the Angels will give him a chance to prove his worth at the position while Tommy La Stella (lower leg) likely remains sidelined through August. While starting in two of his first four games with the big club, Thaiss has gone 1-for-7 with a double and three strikeouts.