Cubs send Addison Russell to Triple A Iowa to make room for Contreras

The Cubs Wednesday optioned infielder Addison Russell to Triple A Iowa and activated catcher Willson Contreras off the 10-day injured list.

Contreras was scheduled to start Wednesday afternoon when the Cubs wrapped their three-game series at San Francisco.

Russell, 25, is batting .247 with 6 homers and 16 RBI in 55 games.

After a series of mental lapses last weekend, the second baseman was out of the lineup for the third consecutive game Tuesday.

It was Russell's longest stretch on the bench since returning from his domestic violence suspension in May that didn't involve his early-June hand injury.

“That's what it's all about now — we've really got to get beyond the mental mistakes,” manager Joe Maddon said Tuesday of Russell, who admittedly was missing signs.

The Cubs had started rookie Robel Garcia at second.

“It gives (Russell) a chance to reboot a little bit, think about it a little bit, slow it down a little bit, so he can grasp all this stuff,” Maddon said.

Contreras, 27, was placed on the injured list July 16 (retroactive to July 14) with a right foot strain and did not require a rehab assignment as part of his return, as he spent the minimum 10 days on the list. He is hitting .286 with 19 homers and 55 RBI in 78 games.

He was the starting catcher for the National League at this month's All-Star Game, earning that honor for the second year in a row, the first Cubs catcher to start the game in back-to-back years since Gabby Hartnett in 1936-37.