MLB Player News

The Cardinals optioned Crooks to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

Crooks has been unable to find a groove at the plate since he was called up in late May, slashing just .179/.255/.336 with five home runs and a 32.2 percent strikeout rate. With Crooks returning to Memphis, the Cardinals are poised to promote Leo Bernal on Tuesday to work into the catcher mix with Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages.

Realmuto is absent from the lineup for Monday's matchup with the Diamondbacks.

Although the catcher launched a homer in Sunday's series finale against the Angels and has recorded a base hit in six of his last eight games, he will not start Monday. Instead, Garrett Stubbs will catch balls and strikes while batting ninth for the Phillies.

Duno (hamstring) has gone 5-for-14 with two doubles, two walks and a run scored in four games for Double-A Chattanooga since being reinstated from the 7-day injured list Tuesday.

Duno missed about a month of action due to a hamstring injury. The 20-year-old catching prospect continued to produce at a well above league-average level since moving up to the Southern League in late June, slashing .318/.420/.506 with three home runs and one stolen base through his first 23 games with Chattanooga.

Basallo (hand) will start at catcher and bat sixth in Monday's game against the Rockies.

Basallo sat out Sunday's 8-5 win over the Athletics due to a right hand injury, but the issue appears to have resolved itself after a day off. He'll step back in behind the plate for the series opener in Colorado while Carlos Narvaez retreats to the bench.

Rutschman is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mariners.

After he had been recently managing an elbow injury, Rutschman started behind the plate in three of the Red Sox's four games against the Yankees over the weekend, going 3-for-12 with two runs during that stretch. Rutschman isn't believed to have suffered a setback with his elbow coming out of the series with New York, so he's presumably just getting a maintenance day Monday.

Cavanaugh is out of the lineup for Monday's game in Atlanta, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Cavanaugh will hit the bench for the makeup game in Atlanta while the Giants go with Andrew Knizner behind the plate. Unless he's used off the bench Monday, Cavanaugh will close out August having produced a lowly .208/.276/.226 slash line over 58 plate appearances.

Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Sunday's 7-4 loss to the Rangers.

Sanchez got the start behind the plate Sunday with William Contreras receiving a rest day and provided Milwaukee with a two-run homer in the seventh inning. The long ball was a welcome sight for Sanchez, who entered the contest riding a 1-for-26 slump. He's slashing .207/.347/.429 with 11 homers, nine doubles, one triple, 34 RBI and 34 runs scored across 242 plate appearances this season.

Stephenson went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and a double in Sunday's 7-5 win over the Cubs.

Stephenson put the Reds ahead 6-3 with a two-run homer off Shota Imanaga in the fifth inning. The catcher has been clicking at the plate since the All-Star break, slashing .274/.346/.556 with eight homers, 25 RBI and 18 runs over his past 35 games. In total, Stephenson is hitting .250/.328/.427 with 14 homers, 49 RBI and 36 runs across 108 contests.

Realmuto went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and a walk in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Angels.

Realmuto got the Phillies on the board with a solo homer to left-center field in the third inning. The veteran catcher has had a quiet August, slashing .221/.284/.351 with two homers, eight RBI and 14 runs across 22 games in the month. Overall, Realmuto is hitting .224/.299/.362 with 10 homers, 45 RBI, 45 runs and three stolen bases in 102 contests.

Serven went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 8-5 loss to Baltimore.

Serven went to the opposite field with a two-run homer in the third inning off Chris Bassitt. The catcher is hitting .231/.245/.519 with five homers, 14 RBI and seven runs across 53 plate appearances at the big-league level this season. With Shea Langeliers (knee) shelved, Serven has served as the backup to Jonah Heim behind the dish.