MLB Player News

Rupp is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rockies, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Since stringing together a 10-game hitting streak, which boosted his average to .289, Rupp is 0-for-10. He will turn catching duties over to Carlos Ruiz on Saturday, but Rupp has carved out a large share of the workload with his performance in the first half. In fact, he's been a top-15 catcher so far for fantasy purposes.

Grandal went 5-for-5 with three home runs and Six RBI in Friday's win over the Padres.

Grandal went deep in the first and third innings, accounting for five of his RBI, and he capped off the scoring with a 430-foot bomb to center in the seventh. Grandal had shockingly only delivered one multi-hit game since late April, but Friday's game raised his disappointing average 21 points to .204. His power has picked up as well, as six of his last nine hits have left the yard.

Contreras will start in left field and bat cleanup Friday against the Pirates.

Friday's start in the No. 4 spot will be the ninth for Contreras, and it will be his ninth start in left field as well. The 24-year-old is now batting a ridiculous .319/.397/.623 through 78 plate appearances, doing similar damage against both handedness of pitcher. It seems he's firmly locked into the heart of the Cubs' order.

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup Friday against the Nationals.

Rene Rivera will catch for starer Noah Syndergaard as d'Arnaud sits for the second time in three games. D'Arnaud hit his first two home runs of the season this week, giving him 14 hits in 44 at-bats since his return from the DL (.318 average). He remains the primary backstop in New York but he's among the biggest injury risks in baseball.

d'Arnaud went 1-for-5 with a solo homer Thursday against the Nationals.

d'Arnaud's second homer of the year came in the fourth inning to pull the Mets within two runs in a game they'd eventually win. He's now blasted homers in two of his last three games, and he's slashing .256/.309/.356 in 92 at-bats on the season.

Rupp is starting behind the dish and batting fifth against Colorado on Thursday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Rupp sat Wednesday's contest with Carlos Ruiz getting the start behind the plate but is back in the lineup against Jeremy Hellickson and the Rockies on Thursday. Rupp has collected hits in 10 of his last 11 games, slashing .349/.404/.721 during that time.

Stephenson (wrist) has begun a rehab assignment in the Arizona Rookie League, RedsMinorLeagues.com reports.

Stephenson's development time has stalled because of the wrist injury, but the good news is that they expected him to take awhile, given that he was drafted from high school. The bad news for him is that the Reds drafted another catcher early this year in Chris Okey, who was taken in the second round, and Okey has already been promoted to Low-A Dayton, where Stephenson was playing prior to the injury.

Barnhart went 1-for-4 with a three-run blast in Wednesday's 5-3 victory over the Cubs.

Barnhart's homer off Trevor Cahill in the seventh, his third home run of the season, not only put Cincinnati back ahead but continued his personal hot stretch. In 14 games since June 18, the switch-hitting catcher is batting .348 (16-for-46) with eight RBI. On the current road trip, he is 8-for-20.

Stewart (knee) had an MRI done Wednesday which revealed "wear and tear" that could potentially require surgery, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Stewart was placed on 15-day DL Monday with hopes of returning shortly after the All-Star break. While his MRI revealed that his knee may require surgery, Stewart remains optimistic he can play through the injury. He had struggled in his five games prior to being placed on the DL, going just 2-for-15 from the plate. Expect an update when the club decides how to handle the situation.

Contreras will catch Saturday's game against the Pirates, Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago reports.

David Ross was placed on the 7-day disabled list due to a concussion Wednesday, so Contreras will move back behind the plate Saturday to catch for Jon Lester. Contreras has been moved around the diamond since coming up to the Cubs, making 11 starts behind the plate to go with seven appearances in left field and two appearances at first base. Not only has Contreras' versatility been valuable thus far, but he's been tremendous at the plate as well. He's slashing .300/.391/.617 with five home runs in his first 60 big league at-bats.