MLB Player News

Contreras (forearm) is starting at catcher and batting fifth for Game 4 of the NLCS against the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Contreras took a pitch off his forearm in the eighth inning of Game 3, but the injury was never expected to keep him out of the Cubs' crucial Game 4 clash. He's 2-for-11 with six strikeouts in the NLCS, which the Dodgers lead 3-0.

Contreras, who injured his forearm in Tuesday's game, is expected to be ready for Game 4 on Wednesday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

He went 1-for-3 with a strikeout before being replaced by Alex Avila in the Cubs' 6-1 loss to the Dodgers, who now lead the NLCS 3-0. Contreras took a pitch off the forearm in the eighth inning of Game 3, but barring excessive overnight swelling, he will be back for the potential elimination game.

Grandal is not in the lineup for Game 3 of the NLCS against the Cubs on Tuesday, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

Grandal is 0-for-7 in his career against Kyle Hendricks -- including an 0-for-3 performance in last year's NLCS -- so he'll open Game 3 on the bench as Austin Barnes draws another start behind the dish in his stead.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Game 2 of the NLCS against the Cubs on Sunday, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Austin Barnes will serve as the Dodgers' backstop for the second consecutive day while Grandal sits out. Grandal has appeared in just one game during the 2017 postseason, in which he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Cubs.

Austin Barnes will draw in behind the plate to catch Clayton Kershaw as the Dodgers begin the NLCS. The Dodgers are facing left-hander Jose Quintana, which could also have attributed to Grandal's absence from the lineup given his .233 average against southpaws this season.

Grandal is not in the lineup for Game 3 of the NLDS against the Diamondbacks on Monday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Grandal will stick on the bench for a second straight game as Austin Barnes draws another start behind the dish. Grandal went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in his only postseason start this season, while Barnes has gone 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored, so it appears manager Dave Roberts is choosing to ride with the hotter bat.

Grandal is not in the lineup for Game 2 of the NLDS against the Diamondbacks on Saturday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Grandal is hitting just .233 in 86 at-bats against southpaws this season -- compared to his .250 average against right-handed pitchers -- so he'll head to the bench as righty-hitting Austin Barnes draws the start against lefty Robbie Ray. Barnes will start behind the dish and bat seventh in his stead Saturday, though Grandal will likely be back in the starting lineup for Game 3.

Glenn agreed to a minor-league deal with the Mets on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old played in just 20 games this year at Triple-A Las Vegas, slashing .234/.321/.340. Dunn also struck out in 30.2 percent of his plate appearances. The Mets currently have decent depth at catcher, so it's likely he will stay at Triple-A in a similar role next season.

Perez agreed to a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

Perez will return to the Diamondbacks rather than test the minor-league free agent market. He posted his best season to date in 2017, hitting .279/.365/.424 in 80 games with Double-A Jackson while drawing praise as one of the best defensive catchers at that level. The 25-year-old will continue his climb to the majors next season, likely starting the year out with Triple-A Reno.

Murphy went hitless in four at-bats following his September callup.

The catching prospect saw little playing time down the stretch with the Rockies in the thick of the playoff race -- a disappointing finish to a disappointing season. Expected by many to move into the starting catcher role at some point in 2017, he wound up getting hurt during spring training and struggling at the plate in the minors. Heading into 2018, Murphy still looks like a candidate to assume full-time catching duties, but he'll need to show that this past season was simply a fluke and not a sign of things to come.