Darwin Barney hopes to have the stitches in his left knee removed on Monday.

Barney could begin a rehab assignment with Low-A Kane County this week. He should be ready to rejoin the Cubs' lineup in a week or so.

Cubs placed 2B Darwin Barney on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 31, with a left knee injury.

Barney suffered a deep gash on his knee while trying to track down a foul ball Saturday during an exhibition game at Houston's Minute Maid Park. He needed five stitches, and those stitches now need time to do their job. The second baseman should be ready around mid-April.

Darwin Barney has been ruled out for Opening Day because of a gash on his knee that required stitches.

Barney suffered the deep cut while trying to track down a foul ball during a Cactus League game. The Cubs haven't determined yet whether he will need a 15-day disabled list stint. Barney batted .254/.299/.354 in 2012 but earned Glove Glove honors for his defense at second base. Brent Lillibridge will fill in for him.

Darwin Barney clubbed a go-ahead two-run homer in Friday's 4-1 win over the Brewers.

It was Barney's second home run of the spring. He hit seven in 156 games last year and two in 143 games in 2011. The 27-year-old is firmly entrenched as the starting second baseman and offers value to the Cubs because of his defense, but he doesn't do enough offensively to be relevant in most mixed fantasy leagues.

Darwin Barney's errorless streak ended Friday at 141 games.

Barney made a wild throw on a Justin Upton grounder in the eighth inning that was ruled an error. The streak ties him with Placido Polanco as the longest for a second baseman in major league history. It was Barney's first error since April 17.

Darwin Barney blasted a two-out, two-strike, game-tying homer in the ninth inning on Friday, spoiling what would have been a Chris Carpenter victory in his 2012 season debut, and helping the Cubs to a 5-4 extra-inning victory.

Barney finished the afternoon 2-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI. He got the Cubs on the board in the third inning where he lined an RBI single to center. His clutch two-run shot in the ninth came courtesy of Fernando Salas, who was in the closer's role due to Jason Motte having pitched in five consecutive games. Barney is now hitting .268/.314/.376 with seven homers and 43 RBI on the season.

Darwin Barney is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Astros.

He's just getting the afternoon off. Luis Valbuena will start at second base and bat sixth against right-hander Bud Norris.

Darwin Barney returned to action on Friday August 3.

Darwin Barney (head) is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Pirates.

Barney was removed from Tuesday's game after he was hit in the helmet by a pitch by A.J. Burnett. He told reporters Wednesday morning that his head is OK, so it looks like the Cubs are just resting him for precautionary reasons. Jeff Baker is starting in his place at second base.

Darwin Barney went 0-for-3 and drove home the Cubs only run on a sacrifice fly in Friday's loss to the Cardinals.

Barney is one of many Cubs who could get moved before the July 31 trade deadline. He's done a nice job all around, playing tremendous defense and hitting .268 with four homers, 26 RBI and six steals.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com reports that the Tigers asked the Cubs about the availability of Darwin Barney a couple weeks ago.

Talks failed to progress and it's not clear if they'll be revisited. Tigers' second baseman have combined for a woeful .198/.272/.266 batting line and a .538 OPS this season, so while Barney is hardly an appealing option, it's no surprise to hear that they are asking around for help.

Darwin Barney is getting a scheduled day off for the Cubs on Saturday.

Bryan LaHair is back in right and Steven Clevenger will play first. Adrian Cardenas draws the start at second, batting eighth, against Arizona.

According to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, "rival clubs frequently ask about (Darwin Barney)," but the Cubs have not yet received an offer that they view as commensurate value.

Chicago is apparently viewing Barney as a long-term regular at second base, while we can only infer that interested parties are offering deals that peg him as a future utility man. While pretty much the entire Cub roster is available, Barney, 26, certainly won't be looked at as a "must move" by Theo Epstein and Jud Hoyer.

Darwin Barney hit a walkoff homer off Dale Thayer in the ninth to give the Cubs an 8-6 victory over the Padres on Wednesday.

Fresh off their 12-game losing streak, the Cubs managed a sweep of the Padres at home. Barney was a big part of it, hitting two homers and collecting two doubles in the three games. Going into the series, Barney had a total of three career homers in 766 at-bats. The power surge figures to disappear as quickly as it came, but it was a welcome sight for Cubs fans.

Darwin Barney finished 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Wednesday night's loss to the Astros.

The 26-year-old second baseman is back to batting just .259/.306/.374 after a short burst of quality hitting last week. He's not worth owning in standard leagues.

Darwin Barney went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI Tuesday against the Reds.

Barney bulked up a bit over the offseason and is now batting .386 with seven doubles this spring. It's encouraging, but we doubt he'll be able to produce much, if any, mixed league value this season.

Darwin Barney is back in the Cubs' lineup Monday after sitting out the weekend with side tightness.

The mild discomfort was never a major concern. Barney is 8-for-19 with three doubles and seven RBI this spring.

Darwin Barney was held out of Thursday's game due to mild tightness on his left side.

Barney felt a tug while taking batting practice and took the day off as a precautionary measure. The Cubs are calling the 26-year-old second baseman "day-to-day."

Darwin Barney added 20 pounds of muscle over the offseason.

Barney beefed up in hopes of avoiding a second-half slump like he experienced last season. "I'm a little bit overwhelmed from watching him (while coaching in Milwaukee)," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "He's a lot stronger and a lot quicker than I thought." Barney batted .276/.313/.353 with two homers over 571 plate appearances for the Cubs last year but hit just .238 in the second half after a .306 mark prior to the All-Star break.

Darwin Barney returned to action on Friday September 9.