MLB Player News

Contreras is out of the lineup for Thursday's contest against Washington.

Contreras will receive a standard day off after going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk during Wednesday's loss to the Brewers. He's been mired in a slump as of late, going just 3-for-25 dating back to Aug. 31. In his absence, Victor Caratini will catch Mike Montgomery and bat fifth.

Hedges went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 5-4 win over Seattle.

Hedges homered for the second time over the last three games, upping his season total to 13. The 26-year-old had been alternating two-game starts with rookie Francisco Mejia, but the presence of the designated hitter on the road against the Mariners allowed both backstops to remain in the lineup during the two-game series. Hedges will return to an even split down the stretch, but his career-best .446 slugging percentage (seventh among catchers with at least 250 at-bats) should be enough for him to remain relevant at the catcher position.

Stallings went 2-for-5 with three RBI in Wednesday's 4-3 win over St. Louis.

He's serving as Francisco Cervelli's backup while Elias Diaz (hamstring) remains sidelined. Stallings, who is best known for his steady defense, hit a surprising .285 in 256 Triple-A at-bats in 2018 (well above his career mark of .252). The 28-year-old has made just 19 appearances in the majors over the last three seasons.

Grandal went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Wednesday's win over the Reds.

Grandal put the Dodgers up 2-1 with his run-scoring double on a fan interference call. He added a pair of RBI singles in the fifth and sixth innings as the Dodgers scored eight runs over three innings en route to the win. The backstop is now in the midst of a modest three-game hit streak -- going 5-for-11 with a pair of doubles and a homer in those contests -- after starting the month 1-for-13.

Diaz (hamstring) has been cleared to resume running and he caught a few bullpen sessions Wednesday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Diaz is expected to test the hamstring on the bases this weekend in Milwaukee. There had been talk of Diaz possibly missing the rest of the season, but it looks like he has a good chance to return to his backup role before the end of the campaign.

Plawecki is not in the lineup for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Marlins.

Plawecki sits after starting five of the last six games. With two games Wednesday, it's very likely he'll be back in the lineup for the nightcap. Tomas Nido will start the first game of the twin bill.

Caratini went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Brewers.

Caratini played offensive hero for the Cubs, as he recorded two of the team's three hits and drove in critical runs in the second and seventh innings. The 25-year-old doesn't get regular playing time with Willson Contreras entrenched as the starting catcher, but he does have a modest three-game hitting streak going with a home run and six RBI in that span.

Contreras is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Brewers.

Contreras will give way to Victor Caratini behind the dish after starting Monday's series opener and going 1-for-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored. The backstop is off to a slow start to September, hitting just .150/.261/.200 across eight games.

Barnhart is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Dodgers, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Barnhart will take a seat after starting the previous two games behind the dish, going 3-for-8 with three RBI during those appearances. Curt Casali will start at catcher in his stead.

Grandal went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Monday against Cincinnati.

Grandal went deep in the sixth inning to bring the Dodgers within three runs, but the Reds would tack on insurance runs in the bottom half of the inning. He's been cold at the dish over his previous 10 games, going just 2-for-21 with a home run, four RBI and two walks.