According to reports, catcher Carlos Ruiz will be on his way to High-A Clearwater to begin a rehab assignment. Chooch has been sidelined since June 26 with a concussion and was hitting .257/.363/.357 with two homers before the injury.
Analysis: If Ruiz’s rehab goes well, he could become a hot name in the catching market. While the Cardinals have recently acquired a stopgap catcher to fill in for Yadier Molina, a few other contenders have played through their seasons with injured starting catchers, like the Braves, Marlins, and Orioles. While intra-division trades are unlikely, Chooch could be a hot name in a thin catching market at the deadline with just one year, $8.5 million left on his contract for 2015 and a reasonable $4.5 million team option for 2016.Â
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