MLB Player News

Ruiz went 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBI, a run scored and a stolen base Wednesday against the Pirates.

Ruiz delivered separate run-scoring singles in the first and fifth frames. He also swiped his fourth base of the season, which is particularly notable given that he had no steals at any professional level since 2016 entering the current campaign. Ruiz is striking out at just a 9.7 percent clip for the season, though he has an unimpressive .093 ISO paired with a .255 batting average across 238 plate appearances.

Contreras went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a two-run home run and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Reds.

Contreras was electric in this one, and he now has three straight multi-hit games. It was the backstop's third three-hit effort in June, pushing his batting average this month to .295. He also has five home runs and 16 RBI across 25 games in June. Contreras has been a fantasy bright spot in Chicago and is certainly enhancing his trade value before the deadline next month.

Stephenson (thumb) participated in batting practice on the field at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Manager David Bell recently said he hopes Stephenson will begin a rehab assignment within the next week, and the catcher's participating at batting practice Wednesday is an encouraging sign for his outlook. The 25-year-old will likely need to advance to facing live pitching before being cleared for game action in the minors.

Gomes isn't in the lineup Wednesday against Colorado.

Gomes started in the last six games but hit just .185 with a run and a strikeout. Willson Contreras is starting behind the plate while Rafael Ortega takes over in left field.

Herrera isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Herrera started in the last three games and went 2-for-9 with two walks and three strikeouts. Andrew Knizner is taking over behind the dish and batting ninth Wednesday.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored Tuesday against the Dodgers.

Diaz continued his recent power surge, popping his third homer in his last seven starts. He's also tallied eight RBI and four runs scored in that span to put together the most productive stretch of his season. Diaz now has five home runs for the campaign while hitting .225 across 184 plate appearances.

McCann isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against Houston.

McCann went 1-for-11 with a run, an RBI, a walk and three strikeouts over his three games since returning to the field. Tomas Nido is drawing the start behind the plate and batting ninth Wednesday.

Narvaez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.

With the Brewers wrapping up their series with a day game after a night game and a southpaw (Jalen Beeks) scheduled to start for Tampa Bay, it comes as little surprise that the lefty-hitting Narvaez takes a seat. Victor Caratini will handle catching duties Wednesday after Narvaez went 1-for-3 with a walk while starting behind the dish in Tuesday's 5-3 win.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in Tuesday's loss to the Reds.

Contreras extended his hitting streak to four games and is now batting .272 for the season with a solid .881 OPS. The Chicago backstop is likely headed toward his third All-Star Game selection this season. Contreras has been a bright spot for the 28-46 Cubs, and he remains a key trade candidate before the deadline due to his expiring contract.

Realmuto went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to Atlanta.

The backstop swiped his 10th bag of the year in the first inning off Charlie Morton and Travis d'Arnaud, marking the third time in his career Realmuto has reached double digits in steals. He needed only 66 games to reach that plateau this season, and the 31-year-old seems almost certain to break his previous career high of 13, set last year in 134 contests. His power numbers have taken a step backward, however, and he sports a .238/.315/.363 slash line with five homers, 29 RBI and 35 runs.