MLB Player News

Contreras (hamstring) took batting practice and ran the bases Thursday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Contreras continues to make encouraging progress as he works his way back from a strained right hamstring that has kept him on the shelf for most of August. If the backstop responds well to his increased activity, he could be cleared to begin a minor-league rehab assignment later this week or early next week. He's trending toward an early-to-mid-September return, barring setbacks.

Realmuto went 3-for-5 with a triple, a solo home run and two runs in a 12-3 victory against the Pirates on Wednesday.

The Phillies catcher finished just a double shy of the cycle, as he recorded his second three-hit night in the last three days. In the three-game series against the Pirates, Realmuto went 8-for-15 (.533) with three extra-base hits. He is batting .280 with 20 home runs, 69 RBI, 81 runs and seven steals in 464 at-bats this season.

Campusano will play for Peoria in the Arizona Fall League, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Campusano, the 2019 California League co-MVP, has put together a .325/.396/.512 slash line with 15 homers and 81 RBI in 109 games with High-A Lake Elsinore this season. The assignment to the AFL will allow him to further hone his skills among many of the other top prospects in baseball.

Manager Joe Maddon said Contreras (hamstring) is "very close" to beginning a minor-league rehab assignment, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Contreras has been sidelined for most of August with a strained right hamstring. He's been slowly ramping up his activities and could be cleared for game action later this week or early next week, if all goes as planned. It remains to be seen how many rehab games Contreras will need to appear in before being cleared to rejoin the Cubs, but he's trending towards a return in early-to-mid-September.

Smith is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Padres.

Smith has impressed across 33 games with the Dodgers this season, slashing .298/.370/.721 with 12 home runs and 33 RBI. He'll sit for Wednesday's series finale after starting the past two games, with Russell Martin starting behind the dish in his stead.

Mejia is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Mejia will give way to Austin Hedges behind the dish for Wednesday's series finale after starting the previous two games. Since the start of August, the 23-year-old backstop is hitting .338 with four home runs and a .970 OPS.

Grandal went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Tuesday in the Brewers' 6-3 loss to the Cardinals.

Grandal trimmed the Brewers' deficit to one with a 400-foot blast off Andrew Miller in the eighth inning, ending an 11-game home-run drought. The long ball was just his second since the All-Star break, with the extended power outage taking some of the luster off of what had been shaping up as the best season of his career. Grandal has at least remained a major asset in OBP-only leagues in the second half, reaching base at a stellar .392 clip.

Barnhart isn't in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Marlins.

Barnhart is in line for another day off, his second in the last three days. Curt Casali will handle the catching duties and hit seventh.

Stallings isn't in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Phillies.

Stallings will head to the bench after going 0-for-4 with a walk and a run scored Monday evening in the series opener. Elias Diaz is set to handle the catching duties and hit seventh with Stallings out of the mix.

Barnes was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Barnes will head back to the minor leagues following the return of Russell Martin from the bereavement list, though he's expected to be recalled when rosters expand in September. Barnes is slashing .198/.288/.333 with five homers and 23 RBI over 71 games in the majors this season.