Chicago Cubs to add young catcher Contreras to roster

The Chicago Cubs' pipeline of talent will put forth another player Friday.

The Cubs plan to call up catching prospect Willson Contreras from Class AAA Iowa in time for Friday afternoon's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field.

The 24-year-old Contreras is coming up to serve as the third catcher behind Miguel Montero and David Ross. Look for the Cubs to demote current No. 3 catcher Tim Federowicz to make room for Contreras. News of the Contreras move first was reported by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

At Iowa this season, Contreras has a line of .350/.439/.591 with 16 doubles, 3 triples, 9 home runs and 43 RBI.

Contreras is in his eighth season in the Cubs organization after signing as a nondrafted free agent out of Venezuela in July 2009. He was added to the team's 40-man roster last November.

The Cubs named Contreras their minor-league player of the year for 2015 as he put up a line of .333/.413/.478 with 8 homers and 75 RBI for Class AA Tennessee. Contreras' .333 batting average led the Southern League, which named him a midseason and postseason all-star.

The plan for now will be for Contreras to soak up the major-league atmosphere, play in spots deemed favorable by manager Joe Maddon and learn from veteran catchers Montero and Ross.

The Cubs recently added another top prospect, Albert Almora Jr., after outfielder Jorge Soler went on the disabled list June 7. Almora was the Cubs' first-round draft pick in 2012,