MLB Player News

Contreras is out of the lineup Monday against the Brewers.

With the Cubs playing a string of four day games in a row, Contreras is sitting for the second time during that span, this time giving way to Miguel Montero. The rookie has been one of the top fantasy catchers since his promotion to the big leauges, cobbling together a .268/.342/.455 batting line to go with nine long balls, 29 RBI and 27 runs in his 237 plate appearances.

Stewart (knee) was activated from the 15-day DL prior to Sunday's 10-0 loss to the Brewers. He went 0-for-2 with a strikeout during the contest and threw out the Brewers' Keon Broxton at third base on an attempted steal.

Stewart had been sidelined for the entire second half with a left knee injury that nearly required surgery. He'll likely see about one or two starts a week over the rest of the season as the backup behind regular starting catcher Francisco Cervelli.

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

D'arnaud went 4-for-10 over his last three starts, but he will be held out Sunday for the second time in three days. Rene Rivera will get the nod behind the plate Sunday night.

Grandal is out of the lineup Sunday against the Padres.

Grandal will take a seat after catching three straight games, giving way to Austin Barnes behind the plate. Barnes is much more familiar with Sunday's starter, Jose De Leon, as the two paired up frequently in the minors this season.

Maldonado is out of the lineup Sunday against the Pirates.

Maldonado will get a regular day of rest after catching five consecutive contests for the Brewers. Manny Pina will man the backstop in his stead.

Barnhart is out of the lineup Sunday against the Cardinals.

Barnhart returned to the lineup from a hand injury to start the first two games of the series, but he'll take a seat in favor of Ramon Cabrera behind the plate in Sunday's finale.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a double in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Giants.

After sitting out the previous two games in favor of veteran David Ross, Contreras was productive upon his return. The 24-year-old has a four-game hitting streak and has hit safely in six of his last seven overall. He's put together a solid rookie season as part of a platoon, slashing .274/.349/.466 over 208 at-bats.

Realmuto went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a strikeout Friday against the Indians. It was his second consecutive three-hit performance.

While Realmuto's power numbers are significantly down from the first half of the season (just three homers and nine RBI for the month of August), he is still batting .291 since the All-Star break and has now gone 8-for-12 over the past three games.

Barnes was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday.

The 26-year-old has posted excellent numbers in the Pacific Coast League in recent seasons, but he has struggled in the big leagues in a small sample (63 plate appearances). He has an excellent approach, and what seems to be an above average hit tool, although that has yet to manifest itself against big league pitching. Primarily a catcher, Barnes also plays second base, third base and the outfield corners, so he will occupy a minor utility role for the Dodgers down the stretch.

Murphy was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Murphy kicked the door in at Albuquerque, slashing .327/.361/.647 with 19 homers in just 80 games (322 plate appearances). The 25-year-old does come with some injury concerns, having dealt with shoulder issues and more recently an oblique strain, but he will continue to play in a favorable hitting environment and could end up wrestling away a sizable chunk of the workload from Nick Hundley.