MLB Player News

Contreras is not in the lineup Friday against the White Sox.

Contreras started the past three games and will receive a day off after going 3-for-12 with a double, a walk, three RBI, three runs and five strikeouts. Robinson Chirinos will work behind the plate in his place.

Knizner went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in an 8-4 loss to Atlanta on Thursday.

Knizner got St. Louis on the board with his third-inning solo shot, his first homer of the year, and later walked in the ninth. The long ball was the backstop's third in 67 career games and a recent hot stretch has raised Knizner's OPS from .490 on July 7 to .601.

Stephenson left Thursday's game in the sixth inning with a hamstring cramp, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

The exit was termed precautionary, which makes sense given the initial diagnosis. Assuming Stephenson isn't dealing with anything more serious, he should be back in action soon. Tucker Barnhart replaced Stephenson behind the plate.

Contreras went 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored Thursday against the Rockies.

Contreras contributed to a four-run rally for the Cubs in the fifth inning by doubling home two. That his was lone hit of the day, though he tallied a hit in each of the team's three games at Coors Field and collected three RBI and three runs scored. Overall, Contreras is now hitting .233/.341/.430 across 387 plate appearances this season.

D'Arnaud (thumb) is expected to return for the team's upcoming series against Cincinnati, though he hasn't been ruled out for the team's weekend series against Washington, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

D'Arnuad began a rehab assignment July 30 and has since racked up seven at-bats with Triple-A Gwinnett. More importantly, he caught seven innings Tuesday and was scheduled to be behind the plate again Thursday. D'Arnaud's final rehab appearance could come Saturday, as he's currently penciled in to start as Gwinnett's designated hitter, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's 7-5 win over the Astros.

Houston tagged Los Angeles starter Max Scherzer for a run in the top of the first inning, but the Dodgers came storming back with four runs of their own in the bottom of the frame. The big blow was Smith's three-run shot to right field. The long ball was his 15th of the season, tying the career-high mark he set during his rookie 2019 campaign. Among National League catchers, only Willson Contreras has smashed more homers in 2021.

Barnhart is not starting Thursday's game against the Pirates, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Barnhart, who has gone 8-for-38 with four RBI in 12 games since the All-Star break, sits for a second consecutive day. Tyler Stephenson is catching and batting fifth Thursday.

Diaz isn't starting Thursday's game against the Cubs, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain reports.

Diaz has gone 6-for-17 with three homers, a double, six runs and six RBI across the last five games, but he'll get a day off in Thursday's series finale. Dom Nunez will start at catcher and bat eighth.

Stephenson went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Twins.

He hit an RBI single in the third inning, then crushed an 86 MPH changeup to center field for a seventh-inning home run. Stephenson has provided some solid production as Cincinnati's backup catcher, as he's hitting .313 with 12 RBI in 67 at-bats since the beginning of July. On the season, the 24-year-old is slashing .282/.372/.419.

McCann isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against Miami.

McCann drew starts in each of the last two games and went 1-for-7 with a double, an RBI and a strikeout. Tomas Nido will start at catcher and bat eighth.