Contreras (hamstring) is starting behind the dish and batting second Thursday against the Reds.

He missed four games in a row with a strained hamstring, but it was apparently a very minor strain. Contreras is hitting .264/.409/.491 with three home runs and one steal in 17 games this month.

Huff started at first base and went 1-for-4 with an infield single in Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Angels.

Huff filled in for a slumping Nathaniel Lowe, who is batting .132 over the last 22 games and has a season-long OPS+ of 82. Normally a catcher, Huff did make 59 starts at first base in the minors between 2018-21. The move makes sense on paper; Huff has hit safely in all seven games in which he's started in the majors this season, going 11-for-27 (.407). If he can handle the assignment defensively -- no mistakes in nine chances Wednesday -- the Rangers can get a better bat in the lineup while Lowe figures out the issues he's having at the plate.

Garver went 1-for-4 with a home run and an additional RBI in a 7-2 win against the Angels on Wednesday.

Garver knocked in Texas' first run with a sacrifice fly in the first inning and followed with a solo shot to left field in the fourth. The veteran has hit a homer in each of his past three games, raising his total to six long balls on the season. He's reached base safely in 14 straight contests, slashing .283/.328/.623 with five home runs and eight RBI over that stretch.

Contreras went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks and two runs in the win over the Phillies on Wednesday.

Contreras took Ranger Suarez deep for a solo shot in his first at-bat in the bottom of the second frame before later walking twice and coming around to score again. The homer was his seventh of the campaign and third in his last four contests. Over the past four games, the 24-year-old has produced a .462 average with three homers, four RBI and five runs. He's now batting .273 with seven home runs, 11 RBI, 12 runs and a stolen base over 44 at-bats in 13 games in 2022. Contreras has recently transitioned into an everyday role, making him a very intriguing fantasy option at catcher moving forward.

Trevino is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

Trevino is 9-for-25 with two home runs, two walks, seven RBI and four runs over his past eight contests and will receive Wednesday off. Kyle Higashioka will take over behind the plate in the series finale versus Baltimore.

Huff is starting at first base and batting seventh Wednesday against the Angels.

The Rangers will have all three of their catchers in the lineup Wednesday, with Huff making his first major-league start at first base, Jonah Heim behind the plate and Mitch Garver at designated hitter. Huff has appeared in only seven games so far in 2022 and is 10-for-23 with three RBI, two runs and a stolen base, and he could see more action at first base against left-handed pitching when Nathaniel Lowe is on the bench.

Choi isn't starting Thursday against the Yankees.

Choi has started exclusively against right-handed pitchers this year, and he'll get a breather with southpaw Nestor Cortes on the mound Thursday. Wander Franco will serve as the designated hitter while Harold Ramirez enters the lineup at first base.

Brown went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, a solo home run, a second run scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Mariners.

The 29-year-old did a little bit of everything in the victory, taking Robbie Ray deep in the fourth inning for his fifth homer of the season before swiping his fourth bag of the year later in the game. Brown is red hot right now, batting .379 (11-for-29) over the last nine games with seven extra-base hits including two long balls plus two steals, five RBI and six runs, but making consistent contact remains an issue for him -- the surge has lifted his slash line on the season to only .208/.273/.415.

Lowe was replaced in Wednesday's lineup by Sam Huff, as the first baseman endures a slump, Sarah Wexler of MLB.com reports.

With the Rangers facing a left-hander, Lowe found himself on the bench. He's batting just .211 with a .584 OPS against southpaws; however, his overall production is not matching the expectations of a corner infielder. For the season, Lowe is slashing .245/.300/.317 with an OPS+ of 82. Whatever issues he's having at the plate may be affecting Lowe in the field. "Sometimes, when the bat isn't going the way you'd like, everything suffers, 'cause that's the game, unfortunately," Texas manager Chris Woodward said of Lowe. "I've seen some really good defenders struggle defensively because they didn't hit." His -3 Outs Above Average rank 38th out of 41 first basemen.

Cron went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored Wednesday against Pittsburgh.

Cron took Zach Thompson yard in the third inning to record his 12th homer of the season. He has three home runs across his last seven starts. Overall, Cron has maintained a .314/.357/.598 line with 28 runs scored and 33 RBI across 183 plate appearances on the campaign.

Lowe is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels.

Lowe started the past four games and will take a seat Wednesday with left-hander Reid Detmers pitching for the Angels. Sam Huff will make his first major-league start at first base in his place.

France went 1-for-3 with a two-run double, an RBI groundout and a walk in a loss to the Athletics on Tuesday.

France pushed his RBI total to 31 over 44 games with his productive night, one that also included his 16th extra-base hit. The 27-year-old has now hit safely in three straight and five of the last six overall, pushing his stellar season slash line to .330/.399/.489.

VanMeter went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run Wednesday against the Rockies.

VanMeter broke the game open in the seventh inning with his third home run of the season. He's riding a modest four-game hitting streak, though his only counting stats in that span came Wednesday. VanMeter continues to get regular run at second base and is hitting .210/.256/.383 across 86 plate appearances on the season.

Madrigal (back) will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Madrigal has been out with back tightness since May 10, but resumed on-field work Tuesday and is now set to start his rehab assignment this weekend. He'll likely appear in multiple games in Triple-A before rejoining to the big-league roster, potentially returning to the Cubs during their four-game series versus the Brewers early next week. With Andrelton Simmons now shifted over to second base, he stands to see a lesser role once Madrigal is activated from the injured list.

Morel is leading off for the third straight game Thursday against the Reds.

Morel is not a true pop-up prospect, as he has been on the periphery of Cubs top prospect lists for half a decade, but his performance at Double-A and the majors this year has represented a massive shift in quality of play. He is hitting .296/.406/.556 with two home runs and one steal in eight games since his call-up and his hard-hit metrics largely support this strong start. Now that Nico Hoerner is healthy, it appears Morel will get most of his work in center field. It's unclear if Morel will be able to stick up once Jason Heyward is activated from the COVID-19 injured list.

Semien went 2-for-4 with a triple, a run, an RBI and a stolen base Wednesday in a 7-2 win over the Angels.

Semien led off the game with a single, stole second base and subsequently came around to score on a Mitch Garver sacrifice fly. He tallied an RBI on a sacrifice fly of his own in the seventh frame. This was one of the better games in what has been a brutal campaign for the veteran, as he still hasn't hit a homer and is slashing just .185/.242/.247 across 178 plate appearances. He may be starting to come on, however, going 9-for-28 (.321) with two RBI and two thefts over his past seven contests.

McNeil was removed from Wednesday's game against the Giants due to a left knee contusion, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

McNeil made a sliding catch in left field in the bottom of the third inning Wednesday but was shaken up since he crashed into the side wall. He was initially able to remain in the game but was replaced by a pinch hitter in the top of the fourth. The 30-year-old went 0-for-1 prior to his departure and will have at least one day to recover since the Mets have a scheduled day off Thursday. If McNeil is forced to miss any additional time, Luis Guillorme should see an uptick in at-bats at second base.

Garcia is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Josh Harrison will fill in at second base for Garcia, whose season-long batting average dropped to .188 with an 0-for-4 showing in Tuesday's 16-3 loss. Harrison (.176 average) hasn't been any more productive at the plate this season, and manager Tony La Russa may continue to have both players share time at the keystone until one of the two heats up offensively.

Diaz went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored Wednesday against the Marlins.

Diaz missed the Rays' previous two games while dealing with a strained left shoulder. However, he returned to hit third in the lineup and worked a walk in his first plate appearance prior to scoring. He has maintained a .275/.396/.375 line across 144 plate appearances this season, tallying three homers, 10 RBI and 19 runs scored.

Moustakas is not in Thursday's lineup against the Cubs.

He has sat against two of the last five southpaws the Reds have faced, so Moustakas isn't quite in a full platoon, but he will get his rest days against same-handed pitching. Moustakas is hitting .232/.346/.435 with three home runs in 20 games this month.

Burger went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Red Sox.

Burger took Rich Hill deep for a three-run shot in the bottom of the fifth inning, delivering the decisive blow in the White Sox 3-1 win. The homer was his third of the season and his first hit since being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday. Burger is batting .237 with three home runs, 10 RBI and seven runs over 76 at-bats in 23 games this season. The 26-year-old is currently filling in for Luis Robert (illness) on the active roster and could be sent back to Triple-A when the outfielder returns from the COVID-19 list.

Longoria went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI on Wednesday against the Mets.

Longoria returned to the lineup after sitting out Tuesday due to a shoulder issue. He made an immediate impact, slugging a three-run home run in the first inning and a solo shot one frame later. Those were his first two homers of the season, and he has only two additional extra-base hits across 40 plate appearances on the campaign.

Candelario went 1-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run in Wednesday's win over the Twins.

Candelario picked a good time for his only hit of the game, launching his fourth home run of the season in the 10th inning to put the Tigers up 4-2. Even with the long ball, it's been a struggle lately for the third baseman. Candelario is batting just .192 for the season and .125 over his past 10 games. By comparison, he batted .271 last year and .297 in 2020.

LeMahieu (wrist) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game versus Baltimore.

The 33-year-old received a cortisone injection after being scratched from Tuesday's lineup with left wrist discomfort, so it's not a major surprise he's not back in the starting nine a day later. The Yankees made a bunch of roster moves Wednesday which didn't include LeMahieu heading to the injured list, and that could indicate he's expected to be available within the next couple days.

Amaya is hitting .315/.420/.653 with nine homers, two steals and a 24:18 BB:K for Double-A Tulsa.

He's also averaging nearly a run per game -- 31 in 34 contests. The 23-year-old didn't come into the season with a reputation as a power hitter -- he socked just 12 homers with a .343 slugging percentage in 113 Double-A games last year -- but he's certainly muscled up this season. Amaya has always been considered an excellent defender, which should help punch his ticket to the big leagues as soon as next season, though his long-term outlook will hinge on whether he can carry this season's impressive power gains forward. At worst, he's an excellent utility infielder, but if he can keep hitting like this, he's got chance to be considerably more than that.

Franco went 2-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI on Wednesday against the Marlins.

Franco did most of his damage in the opening frame, smacking an RBI double and coming around to score. It marked his first multi-hit effort since May 9, during which time he hit just .051 with one RBI and three runs scored in 11 starts. Overall, Franco has maintained a .267/.294/.422 line across 170 plate appearances.

Simmons will cede the starting shortstop job to Nico Hoerner going forward, with most of his playing time projected to come at second base, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

The motivation for this move is partly for the Cubs to evaluate Hoerner over a long stretch at shortstop before potentially signing a high-profile free agent shortstop this winter. It is also likely related to the fact that Simmons' shoulder is not 100 percent, and this makes it easier on him from a throwing standpoint. Jonathan Villar and Christopher Morel could also get work at second base, so Simmons probably won't be a true everyday player.

Hoerner will be the Cubs' primary shortstop going forward, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Hoerner, who is starting at the six and batting eighth Thursday against the Reds, was activated from the injured list Wednesday and the expectation is that he will get the reps at shortstop while Andrelton Simmons starts at second base or comes off the bench most days. The Cubs are using this year as an audition for Hoerner to show he can stay healthy and stay productive, before the team potentially eyes up a big free-agent signing at the position this offseason. Hoerner is hitting .278/.300/.402 with two home runs and two steals in 30 games.

Farmer (undisclosed) is starting at shortstop and batting sixth Thursday against the Cubs.

He missed three games with general soreness. Farmer is hitting .286/.350/.486 with one home run and four doubles over his last 10 games.

Turner went 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Nationals.

Moved up into the leadoff spot with Mookie Betts getting a breather, Turner did what he could to get the Dodgers on the board, but his teammates couldn't find a timely hit. The shortstop is up to 10 steals on the season to go with his .289/.356/.422 slash line, three homers, 19 runs and 34 RBI through 43 games.

Kiermaier will sit Thursday against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Kiermaier went hitless Wednesday against the Marlins, ending a streak of five consecutive multi-hit games. Manuel Margot will move to center field, with Vidal Brujan starting in right.

Reynolds went 1-for-4 with a double, a walk and two runs scored Wednesday against the Rockies.

Reynolds snapped a three-game hitless streak by tallying his fifth double of the season. He's shown glimpses of breaking out of his season-long slump, as he has six multi-hit performances in 21 games since May 1. However, Reynolds is hitting just .237/.333/.421 in that span with three homers, five RBI and eight runs scored.

Mullins went 1-for-3 with one steal in Wednesday's loss against the Yankees.

Mullins earned a leadoff walk to start the game, but the Orioles couldn't cash in. The speedy outfielder got on base again with an infield-single in the fifth and proceed to steal second base, but once again, Baltimore was unable to bring Mullins home. The 27-year-old lefty is currently slashing .242/.379/.684 with five home runs, 10 steals and 16 RBI.

Andujar went 2-for-3 with one RBI and one steal in Wednesday's victory over Baltimore.

Andujar opened the scoring with an RBI single in the fourth and proceeded to steal second base, forcing a throwing error from Adley Rutschman which resulted in another run. The 26-year-old was recalled Monday to replace Josh Donaldson (COVID-19) on the active roster, but the Yankees are expected to deploy Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and DJ LeMahieu as their everyday infielders, so Andujar will likely be limited to the occasional spot start or pinch-hitting appearance.

Blackmon went 1-for-3 with two walks Wednesday against the Pirates.

Blackmon has one hit in nine of his last 10 starts, but none have been multi-hit efforts. He's smacked two home runs in that span, also collecting four RBI and five runs scored. Overall, he has maintained a .221/.289/.393 line across 163 plate appearances on the season.

Ortega is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Reds.

The lefty-hitting Ortega will take a seat after starting each of the past four games in center field while going 3-for-16 at the plate. Even though the Reds are bringing a righty (Hunter Greene) to the hill, Ortega will give way in center field to the hot-hitting Christopher Morel, who is leading off for a third game in a row. With Morel's path to playing time in the infield becoming more blocked with Nico Hoerner's return from the injured list Wednesday, the rookie could see most of his starts out of the outfield moving forward. If that's the case, Ortega looks like he'll find himself as the odd man out of the lineup.

Keller allowed one earned run on five hits and a walk while striking out two across 3.1 innings Wednesday against the Rockies.

Keller entered the game in the fourth inning after Zach Thompson was hit hard to begin the game. It was the second consecutive appearance out of the bullpen for Keller, and he's allowed two earned runs across five innings while posting a 6:3 K:BB. The Pirates have a day off Thursday, so it appears that the team opted to skip Keller's turn through the rotation. However, without another rest for six games, Keller is likely to return to the rotation at some point during the Pittsburgh's series against the Dodgers.

Wells (1-4) took the loss Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and zero walks over five innings against the Yankees. He struck out two.

Wells was lights out through three innings, but he allowed a leadoff double to Aaron Judge and an RBI single to Miguel Andujar in the fourth. Another run came around to score on a throwing error from catcher Adley Rutschman, but Wells was able to limit the damage by getting back-to-back groundouts to end the inning. The right-hander sports a 4.30 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP through 37.2 innings, but his lack of strikeouts (25) has limited his fantasy upside to start the season.

Castillo (1-2) earned the win Wednesday, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk over five innings against the Cubs. He struck out six.

Castillo walked the leadoff batter Christopher Morel and gave up back-to-back hits -- including a two-run double to Ian Happ -- in the first inning. However, the right-hander was able to settle down and scattered just two baserunners across four scoreless innings to set himself up for his first win of the season. Castillo has registered three consecutive quality starts and sports a 13:2 K:BB during that stretch.

Mills (back) will throw a three-inning rehab start Friday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

He is expected to throw 55 pitches in this outing after throwing 43 pitches in 2.1 innings in his prior rehab start. Given that Mills is ineligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list until June 8, it seems likely that he will make at least one more rehab start after Friday's scheduled outing.

Rasmussen (5-1) allowed three earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out seven across five innings to earn the win Wednesday against Miami.

Rasmussen began the outing with three scoreless innings but allowed the first four hitters to reach base in the fourth frame to account for the damage. Rasmussen has yet to allow more than three earned runs in any of his nine starts, though he has recorded more than 15 outs on only two occasions. For the season, he has maintained a 2.68 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 41:10 K:BB across 43.2 frames.

Darvish (4-2) took the loss Wednesday as the Padres fell 2-1 to the Brewers, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks over 6.2 innings. He struck out seven.

The right-hander took a shutout into the seventh inning before stumbling, but the Padres' own troubles scoring runs left Darvish on the hook for the loss. He tossed 108 pitches (68 strikes) en route to his second straight quality start and seventh of the season in nine trips to the mound, and Darvish will take a 3.76 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 44:13 K:BB through 52.2 innings into his next outing.

Shaw allowed a hit and struck out three in a scoreless inning during Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Astros.

Shaw's season numbers are skewed by one bad outing -- he allowed five runs without recording an out May 13 versus the White Sox. He's only allowed three other runs in the rest of his 17 appearances this season, but that one meltdown puts him at a 5.27 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 10:5 K:BB across 13.2 innings. The 34-year-old right-hander has added a 1-0 record and three holds, though he's not likely to see save chances all that frequently.

Llovera was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

After being called up May 16, Llovera appeared in five games, pitching 3.2 innings while giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts. He will now return to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday and wait for another shot to prove himself in the big-leagues.

Holmes picked up the save Wednesday against the Orioles. He allowed zero runs on two hits and zero walks while striking out one over one inning.

With Chad Green (elbow) on the 15-day injured list, Holmes has been the Yankees' go-to guy for high-leverage situations and has gone 3-for-3 in save opportunities over his last four appearances. Wednesday's performance was a bit shaky, as he allowed the game-tying run to reach, but Holmes slammed the door shut by striking out Jorge Mateo to end the game. Holmes currently sports a 0.38 ERA and a 24:2 K:BB across 23.2 innings.

De Los Santos allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two across a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday against the Rockies.

De Los Santos made his big-league debut and worked the ninth inning in a non-save situation. Though he allowed two baserunners, De Los Santos also induced two swinging strikeouts. David Bednar is locked in as the closer for the Pirates, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see De Los Santos inserted into high-leverage situations in the near future.

Poteet (0-1) took the loss Wednesday, allowing five runs on four hits and three walks over three innings against the Rays. He struck out one.

Poteet was working on three days' rest after tossing two innings in relief during Saturday's matchup against Atlanta. The right-hander impressed during his first start in place of Jesus Luzardo (forearm), tossing 4.2 scoreless while striking out four. However, Poeteet struggled out of the gate Wednesday, allowing five runs in the first inning. Despite the poor outing, the 27-year-old still sports a 2.42 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP across 26.0 innings.

Poche allowed an unearned run on two hits and a walk while striking out one in the ninth inning to earn the save Wednesday against the Marlins.

Poche was handed a two-run lead and was ultimately forced to get out of a bases-loaded jam to end the game. Neither of the hits he surrendered left the infield, and the defense committed two errors behind him. Nevertheless, Poche managed to record his first save of the season, which is particularly notable because Andrew Kittredge (back) is sidelined and Brooks Raley was not used in the game. Poche missed the last two seasons due to Tommy John surgery but has returned to maintain a 1.29 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB across 14 innings.

Ramirez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Wednesday against the Marlins.

Ramirez went yard in the first inning to collect his second home run of the season and in as many days. He's tallied multiple hits in three of his last seven starts, during which he's also driven in four and scored four runs. Despite the strong stretch, Ramirez could find himself squeezed for playing time due to the return of Manuel Margot.

Ohtani went 0-for-3 with a walk, a run and a stolen base in Wednesday's loss to the Rangers.

There weren't many highlights for the Angels in the contest, but Ohtani did help the team get an early jump by leading off the first inning with a walk, swiping second base and coming around to score on an Anthony Rendon single. After collecting a career-high 26 steals last season, the two-way star is on a similar pace with seven thefts through 44 contests in 2022. Most of his other offensive numbers are slightly down, but Ohtani is still putting up solid production with nine homers, 28 RBI and 30 runs scored.

Harper went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a run in Wednesday's loss to the Braves.

Harper singled in each of his first two at-bats before notching a double and scoring in the fifth frame. He added another double in the ninth inning and his four-hit effort was his ninth multi-hit game in his last 14 contests. Over that stretch, Harper has batted .458 with 16 extra-base hits including six homers, 13 runs, 16 RBI and three stolen bases. The dominant span has his season-long stats up to a .318 average with 10 long balls, 31 RBI, 31 runs and six stolen bases over 154 at-bats in 39 games this season.

Arcia was added to the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

Arcia hasn't appeared in any of the last seven games, but he'll serve as the designated hitter and bat eighth Wednesday after Ronald Acuna (quadriceps) was scratched. Over four games since the start of May, Arcia has gone 5-for-12 with a homer, two runs, two RBI and five strikeouts.

Reyes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Astros.

After kicking off May by producing a 1.256 OPS through the Guardians' first six games of the month, Reyes has taken a big step back offensively. In his subsequent 11 contests, Reyes has gone 4-for-36 with one extra-base hit (a double) and 14 strikeouts. Josh Naylor will handle designated-hitter duties Wednesday while Reyes gets a day off to clear his head.

La Stella isn't starting Wednesday against the Mets, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

La Stella went 3-for-8 with a homer, four RBI and two runs over the last two games, but he'll get a breather with left-hander Thomas Szapucki on the mound Wednesday. Thairo Estrada will take over at the keystone and bat fifth Wednesday.