Ross is coming out of retirement to play for an independent league team, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Ross hung up his spikes after riding off into the sunset with the 2016 World Series champion Cubs last fall, but he tweeted Sunday that he's returning to the diamond. He's reportedly set to join the Kansas Stars -- a team that boasts several former big-leaguers like Roger Clemens, Chipper Jones and Tim Hudson -- and compete in the National Baseball Congress (NBC) World Series starting on July 22.

Ross will end his playing career after he was named a special assistant to the baseball operations with the Cubs on Friday, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

The 39-year-old retired following the Cub's World Series victory in 2016. He played 15 seasons in the majors, winning two championships. Ross hit .229 with 10 home runs in his final season as a player, and will now make the transition to the front office.

Ross will be the starting catcher Tuesday in Game 4 of the Cubs' NLDS matchup with the Giants.

The Cubs gave each of the three catchers on their NLDS roster a start over the first three games of the series, and Ross will be the first of the bunch to start twice. He will hit eighth against Giants starter Matt Moore.

Ross went 1-for-3 with an RBI double in Friday's 2-1 victory over the Giants.

The veteran catcher opened the scoring with his run-scoring two-bagger in the third, which plated Javier Baez. Ross has started the first two games of September, recording a hit in each along with Friday's RBI double and two walks over five at-bats.

Ross went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored overall in Friday's 12-1 victory over the Mariners.

The veteran backstop kick-started a six-run sixth for the Cubs, blasting a 382-foot solo shot to left center off Nate Karns. Ross has played very sparingly in July after suffering a concussion early in the month, logging only 14 at-bats, three hits and two RBI.

Ross (concussion) was activated from the 7-day DL on Friday.

After taking a foul ball off the mask last week, it seemed likely that Ross would be back by the end of the All-Star break. He isn't in Friday's starting lineup, but he has been deemed healthy and could start over the weekend.

Ross (concussion) was placed on the 7-day DL on Wednesday.

Ross was examined after being hit in the mask with a foul ball Tuesday, and after finding signs of a concussion, was put on the 7-day DL. With the All-Star break next week, Ross will only miss five games if he is activated next Friday.

Ross is being examined after a foul ball hit his mask in Tuesday's game, Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald reports.

Depending on the outcome of the examination, Ross may be sent to the 7-day disabled list. If Ross is placed on the DL, the Cubs wouldn't have to drastically change their rotation behind the plate, as Willson Contreras and Miguel Montero have been seeing the bulk of the starts in recent outings.

Ross is starting behind the dish and batting eighth Thursday, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

This follows manager Joe Maddon's gameplay as he indicated last week that Ross would catch for Jon Lester, Miguel Montero would catch for Jake Arrieta, and Willson Contrerras would catch for the other three starters. Following this scheme, Ross is due to play only once or twice a week the rest of the season, which greatly diminishes his fantasy value.

Ross will continue catching for Jon Lester, although rookie Willson Contreras figures to see the majority of starts moving forward this season, Jesse Rogers of ESPN reports.

Fellow catcher Miguel Montero will also continue backing Jake Arrieta, which likely leaves three days in the rotation that will be given to Contreras. Otherwise, it seems that Ross and Montero are equally behind Contreras, as Ross has 119 at-bats this season compared to Montero's 114.

Ross went 1-for-1 with a home run, two walks and two RBI in Saturday's 4-3 victory over the Pirates.

Ross has had a rough month, hitting just over .150 while striking out eight times in 20 at-bats. However, his sixth-inning solo shot with the game tied at three turned out to be the game winner. The veteran catcher is slashing .245/.357/.447 through 94 at-bats (37 games) this season.

Ross is in the lineup and batting eighth for Monday's game against the Phillies.

Ross has struggled offensively over his past four games, hitting .111 with five strikeouts, but the 29-year-old will get his typical start with Jon Lester on the mound for the Cubs.

Ross is in the lineup and batting eighth for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.

Ross will get the start as is usual with Jon Lester on the mound. The 39-year-old is hitting .321/.412/.607 with two home runs, nine RBI, and five runs in his last 12 games.

Ross was 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in the Cubs' victory over the Phillies on Friday afternoon.

A positive presence on the field and in the clubhouse, the veteran backstop now has four home runs and 17 RBI to go with a respectable .254 average. He's one of those guys who is a huge asset to his MLB team, but simply doesn't get enough at bats to provide much help to a fantasy team.

Ross is in the lineup for Saturday's matchup with the Giants.

Ross will fill in for Miguel Montero behind the plate Saturday, and bat eighth in the order. He will square-off against Matt Cain who is on the mound for the Giants. The veteran catcher is slashing just .178/.250/.356 against right-handers this season.

Ross was 3-for-4 with a pair of runs and a three-run home run in the Cubs' win over Pittsburgh on Friday afternoon.

The veteran backstop has been getting some fairly regular playing time with Miguel Montero on the disabled list, but Montero is expected back soon so his playing time could dip. The home run was Ross' third of the season and he now has 12 RBI to go with a modest .245 average.

Ross is not in the lineup Saturday against the Nationals.

The veteran catcher has been starting every other game for the Cubs of late, and that trend holds Saturday after Ross went 1-for-4 with a double and a run in Friday's game. Tim Federowicz will start behind the dish and hit eighth Saturday.

Ross is not in the lineup for Thursday's game.

Ross will take the day off after catching Wednesday's series finale against the Pirates, but he should be back in the lineup for at least two of the four games against Washington this weekend.

Ross is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Pirates.

Ross will get the day off to rest after starting Monday and going 1-for-4 including a clutch two-run single with the bases loaded in the fifth inning. The veteran has been a pleasant surprise offensively through the first month of the season, hitting .265/.357/.471 with two home runs and eight RBI.

Ross is out of the lineup Sunday against the Braves.

Ross seems to have taken over as the Cubs' primary catcher with Miguel Montero (back) hitting the DL, but the veteran backstop will get the day off Sunday. Tim Federowicz, who was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, will make his first start of the season behind the plate, catching for John Lackey.