MLB Player News

Realmuto will sit Friday against the Mets, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Realmuto has handled a very heavy workload behind the plate as usual this season. His 37 starts at catcher lead the league, with only Sean Murphy sitting within three starts of that mark. Even Realmuto can't start every day, however, so he'll rest his legs Friday while Garrett Stubbs catches for Bailey Falter.

Bart will sit Friday against the Reds, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Bart hits the bench for the second time in three games. He hasn't done much at the plate this season, hitting .165/.305/.329 while striking out 45.3 percent of the time. Michael Papierski will start at catcher.

Contreras went 1-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Reds.

The Cubs lost 20-5, and Contreras was replaced by P.J. Higgins in the eighth inning of the blowout, but he was still able to do a little damage. The Chicago backstop is up to six home runs on the season, with half of those coming in his past 12 games. Contreras also has a solid .869 OPS, as he's been a good fantasy contributor despite some of Chicago's struggles as a team.

Herrera was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Thursday.

Herrera received his first taste of the big leagues this week with Yadier Molina (personal) on the bereavement list, though he didn't actually make his MLB debut. Molina is back on the active roster Thursday, prompting Herrera's return to Triple-A.

Knizner is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against Milwaukee, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Knizner started the past three games with Yadier Molina (personal) on the bereavement list, but Molina is back with the team for Thursday's contest. Knizner has a solid .269/.364/.358 slash line for a backup catcher and should continue to see semi-regular playing time behind Molina.

Contreras (hamstring) is starting behind the dish and batting second Thursday against the Reds.

He missed four games in a row with a strained hamstring, but it was apparently a very minor strain. Contreras is hitting .264/.409/.491 with three home runs and one steal in 17 games this month.

Contreras went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks and two runs in the win over the Phillies on Wednesday.

Contreras took Ranger Suarez deep for a solo shot in his first at-bat in the bottom of the second frame before later walking twice and coming around to score again. The homer was his seventh of the campaign and third in his last four contests. Over the past four games, the 24-year-old has produced a .462 average with three homers, four RBI and five runs. He's now batting .273 with seven home runs, 11 RBI, 12 runs and a stolen base over 44 at-bats in 13 games in 2022. Contreras has recently transitioned into an everyday role, making him a very intriguing fantasy option at catcher moving forward.

D'Arnaud isn't starting Wednesday against the Phillies.

D'Arnaud started in the last four games and went 2-for-11 with a double, a run, a walk and two strikeouts. William Contreras will take over behind the plate and bat sixth Wednesday.

The Cubs placed Gomes on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a left oblique strain, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Gomes was positioned for an uptick in playing time after top backstop Willson Contreras (hamstring) was on the bench for a third straight game in Tuesday's 11-4 win over the Reds, but Gomes' own injury ultimately proved to be a longer-term concern than Contreras'. P.J. Higgins will pick up another start behind the plate Wednesday in Cincinnati while Contreras continues to heal up, but the Cubs' decision not to call up another catcher in a corresponding move suggests that Contreras' injury remains a day-to-day issue.

Contreras (hamstring) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game in Cincinnati.

Contreras' strained right hamstring will keep him on the bench for the fourth straight game, but his health at least appears to be a lesser concern than that of fellow backstop Yan Gomes (oblique), who was placed on the 10-day injured list. The Cubs could consider deactivating Contreras if he doesn't show more improvement heading into the weekend, but for now, he's being viewed as day-to-day. P.J. Higgins will pick up the start behind the plate Wednesday.