MLB Player News

Smith is not starting Friday against the Angels, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Smith will get two days to rest his legs with the club having an off day Thursday. Austin Barnes will catch David Price and bat eighth.

Manager David Bell announced Friday that Stephenson (hamstring) won't need to go on the injured list, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Stephenson left Thursday's game with what was initially described as a hamstring cramp, and further evaluation confirmed that he didn't suffer any sort of more serious injury. Given Bell's update, Stephenson could have a chance of being available off the bench Friday, and the backstop should be ready to start behind the plate when next called upon.

McCann is out of the lineup Friday against the Phillies, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

McCann is 1-for-14 in his past four contests and will take a seat for the second time in the past three games. Tomas Nido will catch for Marcus Stroman and bat eighth.

Contreras is not in the lineup Friday against the White Sox.

Contreras started the past three games and will receive a day off after going 3-for-12 with a double, a walk, three RBI, three runs and five strikeouts. Robinson Chirinos will work behind the plate in his place.

Knizner went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in an 8-4 loss to Atlanta on Thursday.

Knizner got St. Louis on the board with his third-inning solo shot, his first homer of the year, and later walked in the ninth. The long ball was the backstop's third in 67 career games and a recent hot stretch has raised Knizner's OPS from .490 on July 7 to .601.

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.