The San Diego Padres and New York Yankees have checked in on the availability of Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras in recent weeks, according to sources. Contreras is in the final season of his deal and isn't engaged in contract extensions, so he could be traded in 2022. Chicago also signed Yan Gomes to a two-year deal prior to the lockout. The 29-year-old backstop signed with the Cubs when he was 17 years old and has developed into one of the best catchers in baseball, averaging 25 home runs and 81 RBI over every 162 games of his career. He hit .237 with 21 homers, 57 RBI and a .778 OPS in 128 games last year. The Yankees, who traded Gary Sanchez to the Twins, are an obvious fit for Contreras.

The Chicago Cubs and catcher Willson Contreras could work on a contract extension before Opening Day. The 29-year-old, who made $6.65 million in 2021, is in his final year of arbitration eligibility and club control. Chicago failed to sign long-term extensions in the past for cornerstone players such as Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez. Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said he "will almost certainly shop" the catcher if a deal cannot be reached. Contreras slashed .237/.340/.438 with 21 home runs, 57 RBI, 61 runs scored, and four stolen bases over 483 plate appearances in 2021. The veteran backstop is the fourth-ranked catcher on the latest Rotoballer rankings and will remain a top-5 option regardless of whether he's with the Cubs or elsewhere.

The Chicago Cubs will likely try to work out a contract extension with catcher Willson Contreras, who can become a free agent a year from now. However, if a deal can't be reached, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer "will almost certainly shop" the 29-year-old backstop. Contreras was worth 2.1 Wins Above Replacement in 2021, according to FanGraphs, which was 12th among all catchers. But only five catchers have had a better WAR than Contreras since he made his major league debut in 2016. If the Cubs keep him around for the long term, they'd like to get him more help behind the plate, as they think he wore down offensively from playing so much. Only seven catchers have logged more innings than Contreras behind the dish since 2016, and only two of them (Yasmani Grandal and Buster Posey) have a better wRC+ than his 114.

The Chicago Cubs placed catcher Willson Contreras (hip) on the injured list due to right hip inflammation on Sunday. Fellow catcher Tyler Payne was added to the roster from the taxi squad in a corresponding move. Contreras suffered the hip injury during Saturday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. His stint on the injured list will of course be brief as the Cubs won't be headed to the postseason. The 29-year-old slashed .237/.340/.438 with 21 home runs, 57 RBI and 61 runs over 128 games this season.

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras (hip) was removed in the third inning of Saturday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals due to hip tightness. He was pulled from the game after drawing a walk. Erick Castillo came in to replace him behind the plate. While we don't know much about the severity of the injury, it seems likely that Contreras won't play again this year. The 29-year-old has had another solid offensive season in 2021. Over 127 games, he's slashed .238/.339/.439 with 21 home runs, 57 RBI and 61 runs.

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras (wrist) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Austin Romine is getting the start behind the plate in the game. Contreras is dealing with wrist soreness, but Cubs manager David Ross told reporters that it is nothing serious. He even went as far to say that he expects Contreras to start and catch in Wednesday's game. The 29-year-old backstop has had a solid month at the plate. He's slashing .263/.358/.509 with four home runs, 13 RBI and 11 runs so far in September.

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras will rest on Sunday versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. Contreras was activated from the 10-day injured list on Saturday and went 0-for-3 with a walk and run scored. When healthy, Contreras is one of the best catchers in the game and managers should feel confident with him moving forward. Backup catcher Robinson Chirinos will replace Contreras on Sunday and bat seventh versus Wil Crowe. Chirinos is a dart throw in DFS for Sunday's slate.

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras (knee) has been activated from the injured list on Saturday, according to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. Contreras has been out of action since August 12 after spraining his right knee. In a corresponding move, the Cubs placed right-hander Keegan Thompson (shoulder) on the 10-day IL with shoulder inflammation. Contreras is having a bit of a down season by his standards, slashing .226/.333/.417 with 17 HRs and four stolen bases, but he's still one of the better catching options in fantasy baseball. Fantasy managers should plug him right back into their lineup and expect him to keep producing.

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras (knee) will get into action on Friday with Triple-A Iowa. He has been sidelined since August 12 due to a knee sprain. He'll need to get some rehab at-bats to get back into a groove before returning to Chicago. The hope is that he'll be able to return within the next week. Fantasy managers should continue to hold Contreras as he appears to be at the end of his injury stint.

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras (knee) could return as the team's designated hitter on their upcoming interleague-heavy road trip, NBC Sports Chicago's Gordon Wittenmyer reported on Monday. Contreras landed on the 10-day injured list on August 12 with a right knee sprain but is slowly returning to baseball activities and took batting practice on Monday ahead of the Cubs game against the visiting Colorado Rockies. On Monday, Robinson Chirinos will continue filling in behind the dish and bat seventh against right-handed pitcher Antonio Senzatela. Chirinos has been hot lately, hitting .381/.500/.667 with one home run, three RBI, and four runs scored on eight hits over his last seven games played.

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras (knee) was able to play catch and do some jogging on Wednesday. He landed on the 10-day injured list on Thursday, but could be able to return when first eligible. That means, Contreras come be back in the Cubs lineup by Sunday, but no promises. In the meantime, Robinson Chirinos and Austin Romine will handle the catching duties in Chicago. Neither of them are reliable enough to warrant rostering in fantasy formats.

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras (knee) has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right knee sprain, according to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. Contreras left Wednesday's game in the top of the seventh inning. He has had another productive season at the dish slashing .226/.333/.417 with 17 HRs, 40 RBI, 48 runs, and four stolen bases. Once he returns, he will continue to be one of the better catcher options in fantasy baseball, providing power and hitting in the middle of the Cubs order.

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras will rest on Sunday versus the Washington Nationals. It's just a routine day off for Contreras and he will be replaced in the lineup by backup catcher Robinson Chirinos. Chirinos will bat seventh versus Erick Fedde. The veteran is hitting .273 with three homers and four RBI in 22 at-bats this season and could be an intriguing option in DFS on Sunday. Contreras should be expected to return versus the Colorado Rockies when the Cubs play next on Tuesday.

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's loss versus the Cincinnati Reds. Contreras crushed his home run off of Luis Castillo in the bottom of the fifth inning and gave the Cubs a 3-2 lead at the time, but it wouldn't be enough to earn a victory. Contreras leads all National League catchers in home runs with 17 and continues to have a productive season behind the dish. He is now hitting .236 and has 37 RBI to go along with four stolen bases. Contreras is likely to have less RBI opportunities with the Cubs likely to trade away Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and Kris Bryant, but he should still be a valuable option moving forward.

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Verdugo hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning and the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox rallied late for the second straight game, beating Toronto 5-4 on Monday night in the opener of an important series for the Blue Jays. Boston star Rafael Devers added a solo homer on the four-year anniversary of his first major-league shot. Bo Bichette hit a two-run homer for fourth-place Toronto, which fell to 10½ games behind in the East. Adam Ottavino (3-3) worked a scoreless inning for the win. Matt Barnes got the final three outs for his 22nd save. Toronto starter Thomas Hatch made just his second big-league start after being sidelined with a shoulder impingement since spring training. The 26-year-old right-hander gave up three runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. Trevor Richards (1-1) took the loss. ANGELS 6, ROCKIES 2 ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani pitched seven strong innings and hit an early RBI single as Los Angeles beat Colorado. Ohtani (5-1) gave up one run and five... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Verdugo hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning and the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox rallied late for the second straight game, beating Toronto 5-4 on Monday night in the opener of an important series for the Blue Jays. Boston star Rafael Devers added a solo homer on the four-year anniversary of his first major-league shot. Bo Bichette hit a two-run homer for fourth-place Toronto, which fell to 10½ games behind in the East. Adam Ottavino (3-3) worked a scoreless inning for the win. Matt Barnes got the final three outs for his 22nd save. Toronto starter Thomas Hatch made just his second big-league start after being sidelined with a shoulder impingement since spring training. The 26-year-old right-hander gave up three runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. Trevor Richards (1-1) took the loss. ANGELS 6, ROCKIES 2 ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani pitched seven strong innings and hit an early RBI single as Los Angeles beat Colorado. Ohtani (5-1) gave up one run and five... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Verdugo hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning and the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox rallied late for the second straight game, beating Toronto 5-4 on Monday night in the opener of an important series for the Blue Jays. Boston star Rafael Devers added a solo homer on the four-year anniversary of his first major-league shot. Bo Bichette hit a two-run homer for fourth-place Toronto, which fell to 10½ games behind in the East. Adam Ottavino (3-3) worked a scoreless inning for the win. Matt Barnes got the final three outs for his 22nd save. Toronto starter Thomas Hatch made just his second big-league start after being sidelined with a shoulder impingement since spring training. The 26-year-old right-hander gave up three runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. Trevor Richards (1-1) took the loss. PHILLIES 6, NATIONALS 5 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Andrew McCutchen hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Philadelphia a victory over sinking Washington. Rhys Hoskins... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Patrick Sandoval had his no-hit bid broken up with one out in the ninth inning on a soft double by rookie Brent Rooker and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Saturday night. Sandoval, a 24-year-old lefty who began the game with a 3-13 career record, struck out a career-high 13. There have already been seven no-hitters in the majors this season. The big league record of eight was set in 1884, the first year overhand pitching was permitted. The Twins hadn’t come close to a hit until Rooker, who fanned his first three times up, flared an opposite-field fly that fell just inside the line in right. Sandoval (3-4) smiled after the ball fell, retired the next batter and then was pulled after 108 pitches. He walked one and hit two. Closer Raisel Iglesias allowed an RBI double to Josh Donaldson before getting his 21st save in 25 chances. José Berríos (7-5) allowed two unearned runs in seven innings in perhaps his final start for Minnesota. ASTROS 4, RANGERS... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Patrick Sandoval had his no-hit bid broken up with one out in the ninth inning on a soft double by rookie Brent Rooker and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Saturday night. Sandoval, a 24-year-old lefty who began the game with a 3-13 career record, struck out a career-high 13. There have already been seven no-hitters in the majors this season. The big league record of eight was set in 1884, the first year overhand pitching was permitted. The Twins hadn’t come close to a hit until Rooker, who fanned his first three times up, flared an opposite-field fly that fell just inside the line in right. Sandoval (3-4) smiled after the ball fell, retired the next batter and then was pulled after 108 pitches. He walked one and hit two. Closer Raisel Iglesias allowed an RBI double to Josh Donaldson before getting his 21st save in 25 chances. José Berríos (7-5) allowed two unearned runs in seven innings in perhaps his final start for Minnesota. ASTROS 4, RANGERS... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Patrick Sandoval had his no-hit bid broken up with one out in the ninth inning on a soft double by rookie Brent Rooker and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Saturday night. Sandoval, a 24-year-old lefty who began the game with a 3-13 career record, struck out a career-high 13. There have already been seven no-hitters in the majors this season. The big league record of eight was set in 1884, the first year overhand pitching was permitted. The Twins hadn’t come close to a hit until Rooker, who fanned his first three times up, flared an opposite-field fly that fell just inside the line in right. Sandoval (3-4) smiled after the ball fell, retired the next batter and then was pulled after 108 pitches. He walked one and hit two. Closer Raisel Iglesias allowed an RBI double to Josh Donaldson before getting his 21st save in 25 chances. José Berríos (7-5) allowed two unearned runs in seven innings in perhaps his final start for Minnesota. ASTROS 4, RANGERS... [More]