MLB Player News

Barnhart is not in the lineup for Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals.

Barnhart will head to the bench for the second half of Saturday's doubleheader after going 2-for-4 with three RBI in Game 1. In his place, Curt Casali is starting behind the dish and hitting ninth.

Mejia was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday due to a right oblique strain.

Mejia had been held out of the lineup for three straight days, and the team revealed Friday that he suffered an oblique injury. Austin Allen was recalled in a corresponding move.

Smith isn't in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Diamondbacks, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Smith will head to the bench after going hitless in Thursday's season opener. Russell Martin is set to handle the catching duties and bat eighth.

Mejia isn't in the starting lineup for Friday's game against San Francisco.

There's been no word of an injury for Mejia, but this marks his third consecutive day on the bench. Austin Hedges will handle the catching duties and bat eighth.

Stallings is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies.

Stallings started the last two contests and will take a maintenance day Friday. Elias Diaz starts behind the plate for the Pirates.

Hedges went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Thursday's win over San Francisco.

Hedges launched a two-run shot to left center field in the fourth inning to plate the Padres' final runs of the game. The hit snapped an 0-for-13 skid that stretched back to Aug. 20. Hedges is San Diego's best defensive option behind the plate but has struggled mightily as a hitter this season, slashing .189/.254/.340 with 10 homers, 33 RBI and 92 strikeouts in 285 plate appearances.

Caratini went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in a win over the Mets on Thursday.

Caratini drove in all four Cubs runs and accounted for half of the team's hits in the win. Both long balls came against 2018 Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom, including a three-run blast in the seventh inning that broke open a 1-1 tie. After struggling to start August, Caratini has found a groove over his last five games, going 9-for-17 with three home runs.

Mejia is not in the lineup Thursday against the Giants.

Mejia will sit for a second straight game as Austin Hedges picks up another start behind the dish in his stead. Since the start of August, the backstop is slashing a healthy .348/.394/.606 with four home runs across 22 games.

Nido (concussion) has been cleared to begin baseball activities, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Nido landed on the 7-day injured list over the weekend after taking a backswing off his helmet and suffering a concussion. He's been symptom-free for several days now, however, clearing the way for him to start working his way back into game shape.

Contreras (hamstring) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Contreras took batting practice on the field and ran the bases with no issues Thursday, clearing the way for him to return to game action. He's scheduled to catch 2-to-3 innings in his first game before ramping things up from there. According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com, Contreras is slated to spend about one week with Iowa, depending on his progress, before rejoining the Cubs.