Knizner signed a minor-league contract with the Giants on Wednesday.
Knizner was let go by the Nationals on Saturday after turning in a 1.016 OPS across 91 plate appearances with their Triple-A affiliate, and he'll now look to work his way up to the majors with the Giants. San Francisco hasn't gotten much production from Patrick Bailey (.474 OPS) or Sam Huff (.534) this season, so Knizner could be back in the big leagues relatively soon if he keeps hitting well.
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Andrew Knizner: Enters open market
Rotowire
The Nationals released Knizner on Saturday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Knizner has been phenomenal at Triple-A Rochester this season, slashing .382/.516/.500 with 11 RBI and 10 runs scored across 91 plate appearances. The 30-year-old backstop had the ability to opt out of his minor-league deal this weekend, so he'll now enter free agency and presumably pursue a major-league contract, given how well he's done in the minors.
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Nationals' Andrew Knizner: Starting 2025 in Triple-A
Rotowire
The Nationals reassigned Knizner to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.
Knizner landed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Jan. 17. That contract included an invitation to spring training, though he struggled to a .120/.214/.120 slash line across 28 plate appearances. Knizner will begin the 2025 regular season in Triple-A, but he could get a call-up to the majors if Keibert Ruiz or Riley Adams miss time.
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Nationals' Andrew Knizner: Latches on with Nats
Rotowire
Knizner signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Friday and received an invitation to spring training, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Knizner spent the majority of last season with the Rangers, slashing just .167/.183/.211 over 93 plate appearances before being DFA'd in August. He posted a .743 OPS with the Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate to close the season and will likely report to Triple-A Rochester to begin the 2025 campaign.
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Diamondbacks' Andrew Knizner: Outrighted to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Diamondbacks outrighted Knizner to Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.
Knizner cleared waivers after being removed from the 40-man roster over the weekend, but he will remain in the organization for the time being. The veteran catcher is a career .210/.279/.317 hitter over parts of six major-league seasons.
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Diamondbacks' Andrew Knizner: Removed from 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Diamondbacks designated Knizner for assignment Saturday.
Knizner has remained in the minors throughout the duration of his time in the D-backs organization, slashing .274/.357/.397 with 12 RBI across 84 plate appearances. He'll now be stripped of his spot on the 40-man roster, which will be handed to Brandon Hughes, and the 29-year-old Knizner may attract interest on the waiver wire from other teams in need of depth behind the plate.
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Diamondbacks' Andrew Knizner: Claimed by Snakes
Rotowire
The Diamondbacks claimed Knizner off waivers from the Rangers on Thursday and optioned him to Triple-A Reno.
Knizner was DFA'd by Texas on Tuesday after posting a .394 OPS in 93 big-league plate appearances. He'll now join the Diamondbacks organization and serve as an organizational depth piece at Triple-A Reno in the wake of Gabriel Moreno's groin injury. Luis Frias was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
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Rangers' Andrew Knizner: Removed from 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Rangers designated Knizner for assignment Tuesday.
After being dropped from the 26-man roster July 29, Knizner was removed from the 40-man roster Tuesday. The move opens a slot on the 40-man roster for Tyler Mahle (elbow), who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Knizner slashed .167/.183/.211 in 93 plate appearances for the Rangers and could garner some interest on waivers from catcher-needy teams.
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Rangers' Andrew Knizner: Demoted to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Rangers optioned Knizner to Triple-A Round Rock on Monday.
Knizner lost his spot on the 26-man active roster after the Rangers acquired Carson Kelly from the Tigers on Sunday to serve as the new No. 2 catcher behind Jonah Heim. Knizner has slashed a lowly .167/.183/.211 with one home run and nine RBI across 93 plate appearances in the big leagues this season.
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Rangers' Andrew Knizner: Playing second fiddle to Heim
Rotowire
Knizner is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.
Knizner will be back on the bench for the series finale after he started behind the dish in Saturday's 8-4 loss while going 1-for-3 with two RBI. He remains the Rangers' clear No. 2 backstop behind Jonah Heim.
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Rangers' Andrew Knizner: Back on bench Monday
Rotowire
Knizner is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.
Sam Huff will step in behind the dish in the series opener after Knizner started at catcher in all three of the Rangers' games in Seattle over the weekend while going 1-for-9. Top backstop Jonah Heim (personal) is on track to return from the paternity list Tuesday, so Knizner will soon move back to second on the depth chart and see his playing time trend toward.
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Rangers' Andrew Knizner: Getting third straight start
Rotowire
Knizner will start at catcher and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Mariners.
Knizner will be making his third consecutive start, but his time as the Rangers' No. 1 catcher should be short-lived. Jonah Heim (personal) was placed on the paternity list Saturday and will rejoin the team no later than Tuesday.
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Rangers' Andrew Knizner: Heading back to bench Sunday
Rotowire
Knizner is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.
Knizner will be back on the bench after he started at catcher in Saturday's 7-0 win, finishing 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run. The start was just his second in the Rangers' last 11 games, as Knizner continues to receive limited playing time behind No. 1 backstop Jonah Heim.
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Rangers' Andrew Knizner: Provides spark in comeback win
Rotowire
Knizner went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Sunday's 6-4 win over Atlanta.
Knizner's three-run blast in the fourth inning helped erase Atlanta's early 3-0 lead. It was his first home run of the season and just his second hit. Knizner started for a second straight game and is filling in for Jonah Heim, who is currently on the bereavement list.
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Rangers' Andrew Knizner: Swats second spring homer
Rotowire
Knizner went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's spring game against Arizona.
Knizner swatted his second Cactus League home run and is 6-for-23 (.261) with four extra-base hits and 10 RBI over eight spring games. He entered the game in the fourth inning as the designated hitter, but Knizner's shaping up to be the primary backup at catcher to Jonah Heim.
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Rangers' Andrew Knizner: Lands deal with Rangers
Rotowire
Knizner signed a one-year, $1.8 million contract with the Rangers on Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Knizner was non-tendered by the Cardinals this offseason but managed to land a relatively substantial major-league deal with Texas. It's unclear how he'll fit in on a depth chart that also includes Jonah Heim, Sam Huff and Andrew Knapp, though Knizner should have the chance to win the backup role behind Heim in spring training.
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Andrew Knizner: Non-tendered by Cardinals
Rotowire
Knizner became a free agent Friday after being non-tendered by the Cardinals.
Knizner had been projected to earn about $2 million in 2024 via salary arbitration and St. Louis deemed that too high of a price for a backup catcher. The 28-year-old has a career .216/.290/.331 slash line in 255 games at the major-league level, though he showed improvement at the plate in 2023.
Knizner went 1-for-3 with one RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's 7-1 loss to the Reds.
Knizner's RBI single in the fourth inning was the only hit for the Cardinals in the contest. The catcher had gone 0-for-17 across his previous five games, dating back to Aug. 25. He's slashing .242/.287/.442 with 10 home runs, 30 RBI, 27 runs scored and two steals over 203 plate appearances. Knizner's playing time is likely to remain limited as he works in a backup role to Willson Contreras.
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Cardinals' Andrew Knizner: Accounts for lone run in loss
Rotowire
Knizner went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Monday's 11-1 loss to the Pirates.
Knizner's fifth-inning blast was all the offense the Cardinals could put on the board. He reached the 10-homer mark for the first time in his career, and five of them have come in 17 games since the All-Star break, a span in which he's hitting .345 (19-for-55). The catcher has added 28 RBI, 26 runs scored, eight doubles, one stolen base and a .267/.313/.497 slash line over 52 contests this year.
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