MLB Player News

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup Thursday against the Reds.

D'Arnaud retreats to the bench following a pair of starts behind the plate, including a 2-for-3 day at the plate, with a home run and two RBI during Wednesday's affair. In his place, Kevin Plawecki draws the assignment.

Barnhart is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets.

Barnhart will head to the bench for a breather after starting three straight games behind the dish. In his place, Stuart Turner will take over at backstop, batting eighth.

Higashioka began a rehab assignment Wednesday after he had been on the 7-day DL at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with a shoulder strain, DJ Eberle of the Wilkes Barre Times-Leader reports.

Higashioka missed just about two months with a back injury and his return lasted just one day, as the shoulder ailment popped up in mid-August right after he returned to the Triple-A club. It appears as though the 27-year-old catcher is nearing his way back again, but with time running out on the season, the injury setbacks could hurt his chance of receiving a September callup.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a pair of homers, three RBI and a walk against the Tigers on Wednesday.

With this performance, Perez has now set a new career best in home runs with 24 and tied the second-highest RBI total of his career with 70. The 27-year-old backstop had been cold since coming off the DL in the latter part of August, going just 6-for-43 (.140) with a single homer and 13 strikeouts over a 12-game span, so this has to be a relief for Perez's fantasy owners. After all, he was a major force through the end of July, only to offer a combination of injury and ineffectiveness since then.

D'Arnaud went 2-for-3 with his 11th home run -- a two-run shot -- in Wednesday's rain-shortened win over the Phillies.

He's been ceding nearly every other start to Kevin Plawecki of late, and while d'Arnaud has put up three extra-base hits in the last two games, he's been far too inconsistent with the bat to utilize outside of two-catcher or NL-only formats.

Contreras (hamstring) will be behind the plate for 3-to-4 innings during Thursday's rehab outing with High-A Myrtle Beach, Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago reports.

Contreras is set to get a couple at-bats during Thursday's game, and then DH the following day. After that contest, the 25-year-old will rest and be reevaluated by the club to see if he's ready to rejoin the Cubs. If all goes well, he could theoretically return prior to Sunday's game against the Brewers, but he may need a few more games in the minors, or a couple days off, depending how his hamstring feels.

Hedges is out of the lineup against the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Hedges retreats to the bench for a typical day of maintenance following three straight starts behind the plate. In his place, Hector Sanchez gets the nod while batting fifth in the order.

Diaz is not in the lineup against the Cubs on Wednesday.

Diaz will head to the bench following four straight starts, including a 1-for-3 day during Tuesday's victory. In his place, Chris Stewart draws the assignment behind the plate.

Maldonado is not in the lineup for Wednesday's matchup against the A's, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

After starting 11 consecutive games, Maldonado will get a well-deserved day off. Over said games Maldonado pieced together a disappointing .211 batting average, but mashed three home runs. Juan Graterol will fill in at catcher and hit eighth Wednesday.

Grandal went 1-for-4 with his 19th home run of the season in a 3-1 loss to Arizona on Tuesday.

It was a successful return to the lineup for the 28-year-old backstop after he was given Monday off. Grandal continues to see the majority of starts against right-handed starters, providing mixed-league value with a .257/.311/.470 slash line through 419 plate appearances.