MLB Player News

Contreras (illness) is starting at catcher and batting cleanup for the Cubs' split-squad game against the Padres on Tuesday.

After missing a week of action with the flu, Contreras will make his return to the lineup as anticipated. With the illness behind him now, he can regain his focus in preparing for the regular season as he takes on another season as the primary backstop for Chicago.

Kelly is hitting .130 (3-for-23) with two doubles, two RBI, four walks and two runs in nine spring training games.

The struggles are an extension of Kelly's prior stints against major-league pitching. The 23-year-old backstop slashed just .171/.236/.220 with no homers and seven RBI across 44 regular-season big-league games in 2016-17, and hit just .182 over 33 spring at-bats last season as well. Kelly has been a solid hitter in his last three minor-league stops at Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis, so the expectation is that he'll come around while likely serving as Yadier Molina's backup in 2018. Even a slight improvement in his luck at the plate would help matters, as Kelly has been victimized by abnormally low .182 and .207 BABIPs in his first two regular-season stints.

Smith was sent to the Dodgers' minor-league camp Monday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Smith's bat was fairly quiet this spring, as he went 3-for-14 (.214) at the plate and struck out five times. He figures to spend much of the 2018 season at Double-A Tulsa, as a hand injury limited him to just one game there following his promotion from High-A Rancho Cucamonga last season.

Grandal went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and five total RBI in Sunday's spring win over the Rockies.

It was the switch-hitting catcher's third homer of the exhibition campaign, including one against a southpaw, who he has historically struggled against in his career. The Athletic reports that Grandal was tweaking his swing in an effort to increase his launch angle -- and in turn, increase his power output. Grandal was one of just six major-league catchers to reach the 20-homer plateau last season, and he appears poised to post another as long as he can stay ahead of Austin Barnes on the depth chart this year.

Realmuto exited Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees with a lower-back contusion, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto -- who just returned to the lineup after missing time with a knee bruise -- suffered the injury when he collided with Gleyber Torres on a pickoff play in the fourth inning. The Marlins will surely tread cautiously with their prized catcher, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Realmuto held out of action for as long as it takes him to return to 100 percent health. We'll await word from the Marlins with regards to his recovery timeline.

Ruiz was re-assigned to minor-league spring training on Sunday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Ruiz received a non-roster invite to big-league spring training this year, but at just 19 years old, he was never really expected to break camp with the Dodgers. The talented backstop -- who went 6-for-9 during his Cactus League stint -- will likely kick off the 2018 campaign with High-A Rancho Cucamonga or Double-A Tulsa. As things stand, he's likely a year away from making his major-league debut.

Contreras (illness) said he's feeling better Sunday and expects to return to the Cubs' lineup Tuesday, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

The Cubs had originally hoped Contreras would be able to suit up for Sunday's game as Yu Darvish's battery mate, but his return has apparently been pushed back to Tuesday. The brief illness was never anything to worry about, as Contreras should be at full strength when the season kicks off March 29.

Barnhart is 7-for-17 (.412) with three home runs and seven RBI through eight spring training games.

After posting a career-best .270 average and taking home National League Gold Glove honors last season, Barnhart was rewarded with a four-year, $16 million extension with the expectations that he'd enter the 2018 campaign as the Reds' primary backstop. Though the 27-year-old isn't known for his bat, his early spring results are certainly encouraging. Barnhart is a viable option in two-catcher formats and receives a slight value bump in OBP leagues due to his propensity to draw free passes (9.9 percent walk rate in 2017).

Realmuto (knee) will catch and bat second Sunday for the Marlins in a Grapefruit League game against the Yankees, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Tomas Telis is scheduled to come on and replace Realmuto behind the plate midway through the contest, but that's standard procedure for spring-training games rather than as a result of any concern the Marlins have about Realmuto's health. The backstop looks to be fine following two days of rest after taking a foul ball off his left knee Thursday.

The Cubs are hoping that Contreras, who has been sidelined since Tuesday with a fever, is able to catch Yu Darvish on Sunday, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

Contreras had been having a good spring prior to coming down with a fever, going 5-for-14 with a home run through five Cactus League games. The team has exercised caution with its star catcher, but he should be good to go in time for the regular season.