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The St. Louis Cardinals have claimed catcher George Kottaras off waivers from the Cleveland Indians, according to a major league source. The move was first reported by Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
Kottaras, who was recently designated for assignment, joins a Cardinals squad that has been looking for catching help in the wake of the news that Yadier Molina will be out eight to twelve weeks with a torn thumb ligament. He will join Tony Cruz and Audry Perez as catching options for the Cubs in Molina's absence, and could be joined by available options like John Buck or A.J. Pierzynski, who may intrigue the Cardinals after being designated for assignment by their respective clubs.
Kottaras, 31, has hit .286 with 3 HR and 4 RBI in ten games with the Indians' big-league club this season. He is known as a good defensive catcher with some power at the plate, and has a lifetime .216 average with 32 HR and 100 RBI in parts of seven major league seasons with the Red Sox (2008-2009), Brewers (2010-2012), Athletics (2012), Royals (2013) and Indians (2014).