MLB Player News

Garver sits for the second straight game Friday against the Tigers.

Garver's days off come on the back of a stretch of four consecutive starts. Jason Castro remains the starter behind the plate Friday.

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.

D'Arnaud went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI in Thursday's win over Houston.

D'Arnaud single-handedly accounted for Zack Greinke's worst start as an Astro, torching the All-Star pitcher for a pair of run-scoring singles and a two-run homer. The long ball was d'Arnaud's first in August after he launched eight homers in a splendid July. Overall, the 30-year-old is slashing .253/.320/.447 with 14 home runs and 53 RBI in stints with the Mets, Dodgers and Rays this season.

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.

Trevino is not starting Thursday against the Mariners.

Trevino will give way to Jeff Mathis behind the dish Thursday as the two continue to split time. In 17 appearances since joining Texas, Trevino is hitting just .190 with a .495 OPS and 29.5 percent strikeout rate.

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.

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.

Garver is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Garver is just getting a routine breather after starting behind the plate in the night game Wednesday, when he went 3-for-4 with his 24th home run of the season and two RBI in the Twins' 8-2 win. Jason Castro will spell him at catcher and work in a battery with Jose Berrios.