Chicago Cubs catcher Geovany Soto had a horrible start to the season with the bat, and things got worse when he tore the meniscus in his left knee. But after surgery and just over a month of recovery, he's returning from the disabled list and starting for the Cubs against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.

Soto had a .161 batting average over his first 104 plate appearances this year, but he's a career .253/.343/.447 hitter, which makes him something of a mid-tier offensive catcher. The Cubs are likely to liquidate their inventory of players at the trading deadline, and losing Soto likely hurt his trade value, but he's back and has a month to reestablish that value.

While Soto was absent, the Cubs used Welington Castillo, Steve Clevenger, and Koyie Hill as replacements. Of the three, Clevenger has hit the best this season, with a solid .290/.310/.406 line over 69 at-bats, but while Soto was gone, Clevenger hit .191/.208/.255 in 47 at-bats.