MLB Player News

Stephenson left Thursday's game in the sixth inning with a hamstring cramp, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

The exit was termed precautionary, which makes sense given the initial diagnosis. Assuming Stephenson isn't dealing with anything more serious, he should be back in action soon. Tucker Barnhart replaced Stephenson behind the plate.

Contreras went 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored Thursday against the Rockies.

Contreras contributed to a four-run rally for the Cubs in the fifth inning by doubling home two. That his was lone hit of the day, though he tallied a hit in each of the team's three games at Coors Field and collected three RBI and three runs scored. Overall, Contreras is now hitting .233/.341/.430 across 387 plate appearances this season.

D'Arnaud (thumb) is expected to return for the team's upcoming series against Cincinnati, though he hasn't been ruled out for the team's weekend series against Washington, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

D'Arnuad began a rehab assignment July 30 and has since racked up seven at-bats with Triple-A Gwinnett. More importantly, he caught seven innings Tuesday and was scheduled to be behind the plate again Thursday. D'Arnaud's final rehab appearance could come Saturday, as he's currently penciled in to start as Gwinnett's designated hitter, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's 7-5 win over the Astros.

Houston tagged Los Angeles starter Max Scherzer for a run in the top of the first inning, but the Dodgers came storming back with four runs of their own in the bottom of the frame. The big blow was Smith's three-run shot to right field. The long ball was his 15th of the season, tying the career-high mark he set during his rookie 2019 campaign. Among National League catchers, only Willson Contreras has smashed more homers in 2021.

Barnhart is not starting Thursday's game against the Pirates, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Barnhart, who has gone 8-for-38 with four RBI in 12 games since the All-Star break, sits for a second consecutive day. Tyler Stephenson is catching and batting fifth Thursday.

Diaz isn't starting Thursday's game against the Cubs, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain reports.

Diaz has gone 6-for-17 with three homers, a double, six runs and six RBI across the last five games, but he'll get a day off in Thursday's series finale. Dom Nunez will start at catcher and bat eighth.

Stephenson went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Twins.

He hit an RBI single in the third inning, then crushed an 86 MPH changeup to center field for a seventh-inning home run. Stephenson has provided some solid production as Cincinnati's backup catcher, as he's hitting .313 with 12 RBI in 67 at-bats since the beginning of July. On the season, the 24-year-old is slashing .282/.372/.419.

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

McCann drew starts in each of the last two games and went 1-for-7 with a double, an RBI and a strikeout. Tomas Nido will start at catcher and bat eighth.

Barrera is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

After working behind the plate in both of the Nationals' last two games, Barrera will give way to Riley Adams, who was one of two catcher prospects Washington acquired prior to last week's trade deadline. Expect manager Dave Martinez to distribute the starts between Barrera and Adams relatively equitably, unless one of the two performs dramatically better than the other.

Realmuto isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Nationals.

Realmuto has been on a tear recently, as he's gone 9-for-14 with a home run, two doubles, seven RBI, five walks, a stolen base and a walk across the last three games. Andrew Knapp will draw the start behind the dish and bat eighth.