MLB Player News

Contreras is not in the lineup Tuesday against Colorado.

Contreras' two-hit night Monday broke a six-game hitless streak in which he struck out in over half of his plate appearances. Despite the small blip, his season slash line remains quite good at .291/.398/.564. Victor Caratini will fill in behind the plate.

Barnhart is not starting Tuesday against the Cardinals.

Barnhart has hit .344 with a pair of homers in his last 10 games. Curt Casali will start behind the plate in his absence.

Maldonado (forearm) is catching and batting eighth Tuesday against the Red Sox.

Maldonado was held out of Sunday's series finale against the Rangers due to forearm tightness, but he's right back in the mix following a scheduled off day. He's 8-for-25 with a homer and four RBI over his last 10 games at the plate.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Monday's 8-1 win over the Angels.

The hot-hitting catcher just keeps producing for the Cubs, as he's now up to 13 home runs and 33 RBI to go with a .962 OPS. Contreras had a down 2018, with just 10 home runs, 54 RBI and a .729 OPS, but the 27-year-old has bounced back in a big way this season.

Bart (hand) will be activated from the minor-league injured list Tuesday, San Jose Giants broadcaster Joe Ritzo reports.

Bart has been out with a fractured hand since mid-April. He was initially given a 4-to-6 week timeline but will wind up missing seven weeks. The 22-year-old hit .270/.341/.541 in 10 games for High-A San Jose before suffering the injury.

Manager AJ Hinch suggested Sunday that Stassi could report to extended spring training this week to begin rehabbing his left knee injury, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Stassi is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list in the middle of the week, but it doesn't sound as though he's made enough progress in his recovery from the sore knee to realistically return in the minimum amount of time. That said, Stassi doesn't look to be on track for a long-term absence, especially if he's able to resume baseball activities within the next few days. Garrett Stubbs will continue to serve as the primary understudy to top catcher Robinson Chirinos until Stassi is deemed ready to rejoin the big club.

Knizer went 0-for-3 in a win over the Cubs on Sunday, his first major-league game.

The young backstop was called up from Triple-A Memphis on Friday following Yadier Molina's placement on the injured list due to a thumb injury. The rookie had been enjoying a solid season with the Redbirds prior to his callup, and although his debut didn't yield his first big-league hit, Knizer did earn strong reviews for his work as Adam Wainwright's battery mate, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. "[Knizner] worked really well with Adam, was prepared, was able to take that preparation to slow the game down and did a fantastic job," manager Mike Shildt said. "I figured he was going to get a shutout and walk by Yadi and [Matt Wieters] like, 'Really?' But no, he did a great job."

Perez (oblique) went 1-for-2 with a run in High-A Charlotte's loss to St. Lucie on Sunday.

Perez played five innings behind the dish before being replaced by Joey Roach. The 26-year-old backstop may need only one more rehab game before potentially being activated for the start of a three-game road series against the Tigers on Tuesday.

Wynns was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday.

Wynns had been splitting time with Pedro Severino behind the plate in Baltimore but had found little success, hitting .233/.283/.256 through 47 plate appearances. His demotion is expected to make room for prospect Chance Sisco to join the major-league roster.

Leon is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Leon started both of the first two games of the series, going 0-for-2 in Friday's opener and 3-for-3 with two RBI in Saturday's 5-3 loss. Despite the uptick in work, Leon still appears to be the clear No. 2 option at catcher behind Christian Vazquez, who will re-enter the lineup Sunday.