C Tony Cruz was recalled from Triple-A Omaha. He spent nearly two weeks with the Royals from May 30-June 8 when starter Salvador Perez was injured. He batted .264 in 92 games with Omaha this season.

C Tony Cruz was optioned to Triple-A Omaha. That opened up the roster spot for IF Christian Colon as manager Ned Yost said the Royals didn't need three catchers right and wanted more infield help.

C Tony Cruz was recalled from Triple-A Omaha to give the Royals' catching depth while starting C Salvador Perez heals from a bruised thigh. Cruz, who has major league experience with the Cardinals, was hitting .278 with three home runs and 20 RBIs in 30 Storm Chasers games.

C Tony Cruz agreed to a one-year deal worth $975,500 on Friday to avoid arbitration.

C Tony Cruz was acquired by the Royals from the Cardinals on Wednesday in exchange for SS Jose Martinez. Cruz, 29, hit .204/.235/.310 with two homers and 11 RBIs in 69 games for St. Louis this year.

Cruz will start Game 4 of the NLDS after it was announced Yadier Molina was a late scratch from the lineup, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Cruz will take over behind the plate and hit eighth in the order for Molina, who was forced out of the lineup with a nagging injury in his thumb. With the veteran catcher's status up in the air moving forward, Cruz could see a significant increase in playing time if the Cardinals stay alive in the postseason.

Cruz is out of the lineup for Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader.

After starting Game 1, Cruz will rest for the night cap in favor of Ed Easley behind the plate.

Cruz started both ends of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Pirates, racking up four hits -- including two doubles and a two-run homer -- over eight at-bats.

You don't typically see a catcher play 18 innings, nor do you typically see a guy hitting .197 bust out three extra-base hits in a day, but that's just what Cruz did. He's been getting regular time with Yadier Molina (thumb) on the shelf, though he wasn't doing a whole ton with the bat before Wednesday's bust-out.

Cruz will make his seventh straight start at catcher Sunday against the Brewers.

Cruz is penciled into regular at-bats at catcher until further notice with Yadier Molina recovering from a slight ligament tear in his left thumb. It's expected that Molina will be back at some point during the postseason, leaving Cruz as a worthy speculative pickup for those in two-catcher or NL-only formats looking for added catching help.

Cruz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 5-3 win over Arizona on Thursday.

Cruz got the rare start with Yadier Molina taking a rest and responded nicely. This is his first home run of the season and he has very little upside as he's still batting below the Mendoza Line.

Cruz will return to the Cardinals 25-man roster for Monday's home opener, MLB.com reports.

Cruz missed the previous three games due to the birth of his child and will return as Yadier Molina's primary back-up. Ed Easley will be optioned back to Triple-A Memphis.

Cruz will miss this weekends series with the Reds so he can be present for the birth of his child, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Ed Easley, who's on the 40-man roster, will be called up to serve as Molina's backup for the three games against the Reds.

Cruz will start 2015 as the Cardinals primary backup to Yadier Molina, MLB.com reports.

Cruz has served as Molina's backup for several years now and looks to continue the role this year. He offers no fantasy value as the Cardinals do not view him as a starter, this was evident last year during Molina's absence when the Cardinals moved to add A.J. Pierzynski just a couple weeks after Molina's injury.

Cruz agreed to a one-year deal with the Cardinals on Thursday, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

The deal avoids arbitration and brings Cruz back to St. Louis, where he appeared in 50 games last season as the primary backup to Yadier Molina. The 28-year-old hit just .200/.270/.259 with 17 RBI and 28 strikeouts in 135 at-bats.

Cruz went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer Saturday as the Cardinals topped the Reds, 8-4.

In his 100-game career, Cruz has only had three home runs, and the first two were on the road. Cruz hit his first home run of the season Saturday, and teammates Kolten Wong and Randal Grichuk also got in on the home run action. The Cardinals won for the seventh time in their past eight games to cut their magic number to one for clinching a playoff spot.

Cruz was recalled from Double-A Springfield on Tuesday

Cruz served as the starting catcher for a good portion of the season while Yadier Molina was on the disabled list, but lost the spot when the Cardinals signed A.J. Pierzysnki and was optioned when Molina returned. He will serve as the Cardinals third catcher in September, but will likely see limited action behind the plate. He could take some cuts as a pinch hitter, however.

Cruz was optioned to Double-A Springfield on Friday.

Cruz lost some playing time following the signing of A.J. Pierzynski, and now lost his spot on the roster with the return of Yadier Molina. He may not be off the roster long, however, as the rosters expand in a few days when the calendar turns to September.

Tony Cruz had a rough night at the plate in Sunday's loss to the Dodgers, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout.

The veteran backstop is in the midst of a disappointing season offensively, slashing .222/.309/.278 with no homers and 11 RBI. While he's serving as the team's primary catcher with Yadier Molina sidelined, his fantasy value is resigned to NL-only formats.

Tony Cruz finished 2-for-5 with three RBI in the Cardinals' defeat of the Brewers on Saturday.

Cruz hit a two-run single in the top of the first inning and scored Jhonny Peralta on an RBI double in the top of the third. St. Louis managed 10 runs on 12 hits in the blowout win. Cruz is expected to be the Cardinals' primary catcher with Yadier Molina (thumb) out and could carry value in NL-only fantasy leagues.

Tony Cruz had a solid day at the plate in Saturday's win over the Blue Jays, going 1-for-2 with a walk and a pair of RBI.

Getting the start behind the dish in place of veteran backstop Yadier Molina, Cruz delivered a two-run single to highlight a four-run uprising in the eighth inning. He has done a nice job in a reserve role for the Cardinals, slashing .257/.350/.286 with six RBI in his first 35 at-bats.