MLB Player News

Stallings is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies.

Stallings started the last two contests and will take a maintenance day Friday. Elias Diaz starts behind the plate for the Pirates.

Hedges went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Thursday's win over San Francisco.

Hedges launched a two-run shot to left center field in the fourth inning to plate the Padres' final runs of the game. The hit snapped an 0-for-13 skid that stretched back to Aug. 20. Hedges is San Diego's best defensive option behind the plate but has struggled mightily as a hitter this season, slashing .189/.254/.340 with 10 homers, 33 RBI and 92 strikeouts in 285 plate appearances.

Caratini went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in a win over the Mets on Thursday.

Caratini drove in all four Cubs runs and accounted for half of the team's hits in the win. Both long balls came against 2018 Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom, including a three-run blast in the seventh inning that broke open a 1-1 tie. After struggling to start August, Caratini has found a groove over his last five games, going 9-for-17 with three home runs.

Mejia is not in the lineup Thursday against the Giants.

Mejia will sit for a second straight game as Austin Hedges picks up another start behind the dish in his stead. Since the start of August, the backstop is slashing a healthy .348/.394/.606 with four home runs across 22 games.

Nido (concussion) has been cleared to begin baseball activities, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Nido landed on the 7-day injured list over the weekend after taking a backswing off his helmet and suffering a concussion. He's been symptom-free for several days now, however, clearing the way for him to start working his way back into game shape.

Contreras (hamstring) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Contreras took batting practice on the field and ran the bases with no issues Thursday, clearing the way for him to return to game action. He's scheduled to catch 2-to-3 innings in his first game before ramping things up from there. According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com, Contreras is slated to spend about one week with Iowa, depending on his progress, before rejoining the Cubs.

Contreras (hamstring) took batting practice and ran the bases Thursday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Contreras continues to make encouraging progress as he works his way back from a strained right hamstring that has kept him on the shelf for most of August. If the backstop responds well to his increased activity, he could be cleared to begin a minor-league rehab assignment later this week or early next week. He's trending toward an early-to-mid-September return, barring setbacks.

Realmuto went 3-for-5 with a triple, a solo home run and two runs in a 12-3 victory against the Pirates on Wednesday.

The Phillies catcher finished just a double shy of the cycle, as he recorded his second three-hit night in the last three days. In the three-game series against the Pirates, Realmuto went 8-for-15 (.533) with three extra-base hits. He is batting .280 with 20 home runs, 69 RBI, 81 runs and seven steals in 464 at-bats this season.

Campusano will play for Peoria in the Arizona Fall League, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Campusano, the 2019 California League co-MVP, has put together a .325/.396/.512 slash line with 15 homers and 81 RBI in 109 games with High-A Lake Elsinore this season. The assignment to the AFL will allow him to further hone his skills among many of the other top prospects in baseball.

Manager Joe Maddon said Contreras (hamstring) is "very close" to beginning a minor-league rehab assignment, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Contreras has been sidelined for most of August with a strained right hamstring. He's been slowly ramping up his activities and could be cleared for game action later this week or early next week, if all goes as planned. It remains to be seen how many rehab games Contreras will need to appear in before being cleared to rejoin the Cubs, but he's trending towards a return in early-to-mid-September.