MLB Player News

Contreras is serving as the DH and batting first in Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks.

After catching and batting second Friday, Contreras gets a break behind the plate Saturday, though the Cubs will keep his bat in the lineup. He's 2-for-7 in his career against Arizona starter Madison Bumgarner and has pounded lefties so far this season to the tune of a .618 slugging percentage, so it could be an advantageous matchup. Contreras has also been solid this month with a .913 OPS.

Gomes is starting at catcher and batting fourth in Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Meanwhile, Willson Contreras will serve as the DH as the Cubs load up on right-handed hitters against lefty Madison Bumgarner. Gomes is 0-for-2 in his career against Bumgarner, though he does own a career .818 OPS against southpaws, while his mark against righties dips to .677.

Casali was removed from Friday's loss to the Padres after taking a foul tip off his mask, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Casali went 0-for-1 with an RBI and a walk to begin Friday's matchup, but he was replaced late in the game and evaluated for a concussion. While manager Gabe Kapler said the backstop was feeling better after the game, Casali will be monitored to determine whether he's dealing with a concussion.

D'Arnaud went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a solo home run in Friday's 5-3 win over the Marlins.

He launched his fourth homer of the season off Trevor Rogers in the third inning to cap the scoring on the night for Atlanta. The veteran catcher is slashing .222/.271/.444 through 12 games in May with nine RBI, and d'Arnaud will need to remain productive to avoid losing playing time to William Contreras.

Perez underwent surgery to repair a ruptured hamstring injury Friday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

The Pirates announced this week that Perez would miss the remainder of the season following his procedure, and he'll now shift his focus toward his lengthy recovery process. The team hopes Perez will be able to resume full baseball activities in 6-to-9 months, so it seems likely that he'll be available to begin the 2023 season.

Bart isn't starting Friday against the Padres, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Bart went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts Wednesday against the Rockies, and he'll be out of the lineup for the third time in the last four games. Curt Casali will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Nola isn't starting Friday against the Giants.

Nola went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts in Thursday's win over the Phillies, and he'll take a seat for the second time in the last three games. Jorge Alfaro will start behind the plate and bat ninth.

Ruiz isn't starting Friday against the Brewers, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Ruiz will get a breather after he went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a run, an RBI and two walks in Wednesday's win over Miami. Riley Adams will start behind the plate and bat seventh.

Herrera was placed on the injured list for an undisclosed reason Thursday.

Since the Diamondbacks didn't provide a reason for placing Herrera on the IL, he's likely on the COVID-19 IL. Assuming that's the case, he'll be eligible to return as soon as he clears the league's health and safety protocols. Grayson Greiner's contract was selected Thursday to provide additional depth behind the dish.

Stubbs will start at catcher and bat eighth in Thursday's game against the Padres, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

With top backstop J.T. Realmuto serving as Philadelphia's designated hitter in the series finale, Stubbs will pick up his seventh start of the season. The No. 2 backstop turned in his best game of the year in his last start during Sunday's loss to the Dodgers, going 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, an RBI and a run.