MLB Player News

Contreras will sit Monday against the Phillies.

The Cubs have gotten into a pattern of sitting Contreras every fifth day, with Yu Darvish receiving a personal catcher, first in the form of Taylor Davis and now with Victor Caratini. Expect that pattern to continue for the foreseeable future.

Realmuto recorded a two-run home run as a pinch hitter Sunday against the Rockies.

Realmuto pinch hit for Edgar Garcia in the sixth inning and made the most of the opportunity, clubbing a two-run homer to knot the game at 5-5. It was his fifth homer of the season, but his first since April 26. He's now hitting .273/.331/.435 across 172 plate appearances for the season.

Gomes is not in the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Cubs.

Gomes will head to the bench for the third time in four games as he is mired in an 0-for-22 slump over his last seven games. Kurt Suzuki will start behind the plate and bat fifth Sunday night.

Hedges is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Hedges stumbled through the first three games of the series by going 1-for-9 with six strikeouts and a walk, and he will take a seat for the finale. Austin Allen will start behind the plate and bat sixth Sunday.

Realmuto is not in the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Rockies.

Realmuto started the first two games of the series but will head to the bench for the finale, with Andrew Knapp taking his place behind the dish. Realmuto has slowed down a bit since the start of May with a .245/.281/.358 slash line in 14 games.

Barnes is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Barnes busted out with two hits in each of the past two games but will nonetheless take a seat for the series finale. Russell Martin will start behind the plate and bat eighth in his stead.

Casali will catch and bat eighth in Sunday's series finale against the Dodgers.

The start is Casali's third in the last four games as Tucker Barnhart continues to struggle at the plate (.081 average in May). Casali is 10-for-30 over his last 12 games, helping lead to more opportunities.

Barnhart is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Barnhart's Gold Glove-caliber defense hasn't been enough to keep him in the lineup lately, as he'll sit for the third time in four games. Over 122 plate appearances, Barnhart is batting a career-low .163 while striking out 25.4 percent of the time, a seven-point increase from his 2018 mark. Curt Casali will once again replace Barnhart behind the plate.

Diaz collected three hits, including an RBI single, in a 7-2 win over the Padres on Saturday.

The big game lifted his batting average over the .200 mark (.204) for the first time in 2019. Diaz started his third straight game Saturday. Given his improved recent play -- he's 5-for-12 with a walk since Thursday -- the catcher could move into a timeshare with starter Francisco Cervelli in a setup similar to 2018. Diaz is still looking for his first home run after hitting 10 homers last season.

Bart (hand) is about 10 days from getting into an extended spring training game, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Bart fractured his left hand in mid-April, but he's been progressing nicely and should return to game action in just over a week. The Giants are unlikely to rush one of their top prospects back before he's ready, so don't be surprised if they exercise caution with the backstop.