CHICAGO -- Willson Contreras laughed when asked recently if he would willingly catch all of the Cubs' games if manager David Ross would just let him.
"For sure, for sure," Contreras said. "But that's something that is impossible. You understand that. Our body needs some recovery. Catching is a hard position."
With Saturday's contest against the Marlins being a day game following Friday's night game, Contreras received a rare day off from his manager. As a former catcher, Ross understands the rigors of the position and what he has asked of Contreras to date this season.
Entering Saturday's action, Contreras led the Majors with 483 innings caught, leading the second-ranked Christian Vázquez (466 2/3) of the Red Sox. In the National League, St. Louis' Yadier Molina and Pittsburgh's Jacob Stallings ranked second to Contreras with 407 innings each. That difference of 76 innings amounts to an eight-game-plus gap in workload.
"It is extremely difficult not to write his name in the lineup," Ross said. "We try to balance it the best we can. We can't sacrifice the long-term goal with the everyday. That's the hard part for me.
"My job is to win every single game, and the best chance we have to do that is to put Willson in the lineup. I also have to understand this is a guy who's going to break down if we push him too hard."
Beyond starting so much behind the plate, Contreras is also hoping to garner a third straight start for the NL in the All-Star Game. As of the most recent balloting results, he ranked third with 11 percent of the fan vote, trailing Buster Posey (30 percent) and Molina (16 percent).
"It would mean a lot to me to be back in the All-Star Game," Contreras said. "But I'm not worried about it. I know I'm doing a great job. And, of course, I'm not in control of that. If I was in control, I'd put myself in every single year."
Alzolay to start Monday
The Cubs are planning on having righty Adbert Alzolay back in the rotation for Monday's start against Cleveland. The pitcher has been sidelined due to a problematic blister on his right middle finger.
"He's a big piece. It's a big piece we've been missing," Ross said. "He's been one of the guys that have really given us consistent starting pitching with real swing and miss."
Alzolay pitched with the blister for two outings, but it became a real issue on June 7 in San Diego -- one day before he was placed on the 10-day injured list. In that outing, Alzolay walked five in three innings, following a six-start stretch with five walks total and a 2.94 ERA across 33 2/3 innings.
"He's been a real asset to our rotation this year," Ross said. "So getting him back on the mound and starting games for us is a big piece and step forward."
Appreciating Rizzo's defense
In the third inning of Friday night's 10-2 loss to the Marlins, Anthony Rizzo showed once again why he has racked up four career NL Gold Glove Awards at first base.
With no outs, runners on first and second and Marlins pitcher Cody Poteet aiming for a sacrifice, Rizzo was aggressive in his pursuit of a bunt to the third-base side of the mound. Rizzo gloved the roller and was in position to shovel a throw to third baseman Patrick Wisdom, but there was a miscommunication on the play.
While Rizzo did not get the lead runner, he still made an acrobatic throw across the diamond to nab Poteet at first base.
"That was an amazing play, I thought," Ross said. "To jump throw from a first baseman, back across your body, and hit a guy standing on first base to get the pitcher out. It was a huge out for us."
Worth noting
• Outfielder Ian Happ enjoyed a strong May, hitting .292 with a .971 OPS in 18 games. Entering Saturday, though, Happ's production in June had slipped to a .111 (5-for-45) showing with a .450 OPS through 16 games.
"He started to be a little more aggressive [last month]," Ross said. "Right now, it looks like he's maybe a little more in between. Sometimes, when you're not getting hits, you start to chase results instead of staying patient."
• Ross noted that "everything was good" with utility man Matt Duffy (10-day IL, lower back) after his visit with a team doctor on Friday. Duffy will resume a buildup program for baseball activities in the coming days.
Quotable
"Rizz, the other day told me there used to be a little salt and pepper in there. Now, it's a lot more salt. I told him that was because of him. I said that was a direct correlation with him." -- Ross, joking about Rizzo's graying beard