MLB Player News

Contreras went 2-for-3 in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Brewers.

Contreras is now 9-for-30 over his last seven games, and he appears to be back on track following a slow start to the season. He figures to see plenty of opportunities at the dish as long as he can stay healthy. The Cubs begin a three-game series with the Pirates on Monday.

Grandal will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Giants, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Grandal will now have started five of the team's first eight games, a fairly normal workload for a starting catcher, despite the presence of Austin Barnes, one of the best backup catchers in the league. Barnes will catch and hit seventh Saturday. Grandal is off to a hot start, hitting .350/.432/.550 in his first 23 plate appearances.

Caratini is playing first base Friday against the Brewers, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

With Anthony Rizzo scratched due to back tightness, Caratini will be plugged into emergency duty for Friday's matchup. The switch-hitter will look to garner his first hit of the season against Brewers' starter Brandon Woodruff.

Barnhart is out of the lineup against the Pirates on Friday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Barnhart will occupy a spot on the bench in favor of Devin Mesoraco. Through the first week of the season, Barnhart has gone 4-for-12 with one double and three walks.

Stewart was outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday, David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Stewart received unexpected playing time in the opening week of the season with Tyler Flowers (oblique) and Kurt Suzuki (hand) both out injured. With Suzuki now able to return and Carlos Perez in the fold, Stewart was no longer needed, so he'll return to being organizational depth at the Triple-A level.

Nicholas was traded to the Padres on Friday in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Nicholas will report to Triple-A El Paso. The 29-year-old failed to crack the Rangers' Opening Day roster out of spring training and was taken off the club's 40-man in early March. Nicholas has played in 37 major-league games over the past two years and will serve as organizational depth for San Diego this season.

Okey (wrist) will open the year on the disabled list at High-A Daytona, MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo reports.

He tried to play through left hand and wrist injuries last season, which led to horrific numbers at High-A (.185/.266/.250 slash line). This year it's his right wrist that is acting up. He is expected to be ready for game action in a few weeks.

Contreras went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and a run scored in Thursday's win over the Brewers.

Contreras came into the night with just four hits in his first 21 at-bats of the season, but maybe the three-hit performance will get him going. The young catcher should continue to get ample opportunities from the heart of Chicago's lineup.

Wallach is out of Thursday's lineup against the Phillies, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

He has been the de facto starter while J.T. Realmuto (back) has been on the disabled list, but should be an afterthought in the majority of fantasy formats. Wallach is 2-for-19 at the plate (.105 average) through five games. Bryan Holaday will start behind the dish and hit eighth.

Nola cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A New Orleans, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Nola has spent time at Triple-A in each of the past three seasons, so he is developing a reputation as a career minor leaguer. If the Marlins suffer some injuries at the major-league level this season, he could finally make his big-league debut, but will more likely continue to offer organizational depth at New Orleans.