MLB Player News

Diaz is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's contest against the Giants.

Diaz will sit after starting two games in a row, going 1-for-7 with a run scored in the first two contests of the series in San Francisco. Brian Serven will take over behind the plate and bat ninth Thursday.

Contreras and the Cubs agreed to a one-year, $9.625 million contract for the 2022 season Thursday to avoid arbitration, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

The two parties were slated to have an arbitration hearing Thursday, but Contreras landed a new deal shortly before the deadline. The 30-year-old has been productive early in the season, slashing .277/.403/.530 with 10 homers, 35 runs, 23 RBI and two stolen bases over 47 games. He's slated to become a free agent during the offseason but is a candidate to be traded by the rebuilding Cubs this summer if he doesn't reach a long-term agreement with the team.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's victory against the White Sox.

Smith took Johnny Cueto deep for a two-run shot in the first inning. The homer was his seventh of the year and his second in the last three games. He later added a single and notched his first multi-hit effort since May 26. Overall, Smith has struggled to hit consistently this season, producing a .235/.343/.409 slash line over 149 at-bats in 44 games.

Nola is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Nola and Jorge Alfaro have alternated starts over the past 13 games, and that trend will continue Wednesday after Nola went 0-for-3 with a walk, a run and a strikeout during Tuesday's contest.

Contreras will start at catcher and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Athletics.

Contreras will draw his fourth consecutive start Wednesday, but the last two have come while top backstop Travis d'Arnaud has sat out with a sore forearm. Manager Brian Snitker hasn't suggested that d'Arnaud's injury is anything that will force him to the injured list, so Contreras could soon move into more of a part-time role. With Atlanta dedicated to giving prospect Michael Harris regular run in the outfield, Marcell Ozuna is typically occupying the designated-hitter spots these days, closing off one potential pathway to at-bats for Contreras.

D'Arnaud (forearm) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

D'Arnaud will be on the bench for the second game in a row while he tends to a sore forearm, an injury that manager Brian Snitker described as mild a day earlier. However, the 33-year-old is expected to return to the lineup Thursday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. William Contreras will pick up another start behind the dish in place of d'Arnaud.

Stephenson is out of the lineup Wednesday against Arizona.

Stephenson has logged four consecutive multi-hit performances, and he went 9-for-16 with a home run, two doubles, seven RBI and four runs during that time. However, he'll get a breather while Aramis Garcia starts behind the plate and bats ninth.

Wynns was traded from the Phillies to the Giants on Wednesday in exchange for left-hander Michael Plassmeyer and cash considerations.

Wynns was unable to win an Opening Day roster spot with Philadelphia this year, but he was dominant at Triple-A Lehigh Valley to begin the season. Over 33 games with the affiliate, he slashed .365/.504/.500 with three homers, 21 runs, 20 RBI and a stolen base. Joey Bart was sent down by the Giants on Wednesday, so Wynns will likely join the major-league club as the No. 2 catcher behind Curt Casali.

Bart was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento after Tuesday's loss to the Rockies, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Bart will go down to Sacramento after struggling to find any consistency at the plate so far this season. Since May 18, he has produced a .080 average with no extra-base hits and 15 strikeouts over 25 at-bats. The catcher will look to get right in Triple-A and potentially return to the big leagues later this season. The Giants will replace him on the roster with Austin Wynns, who was acquired from the Phillies via trade Wednesday.

Heineman is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

Heineman has seemingly usurped Michael Perez as Pittsburgh's No. 1 catcher, but Perez will get the nod in the series finale as the Pirates and Tigers get together for a day game after a night game. In Tuesday's 5-3 loss, Heineman was behind the plate for all nine innings and was hitless over his three plate appearances.