The Cubs activated catcher Willson Contreras from the 10-day disabled list Sunday.
Contreras hasn't played since suffering a moderate strain of his right hamstring while running to first base on Aug. 9 at San Francisco.
Contreras wasn't in the Cubs' lineup Sunday as manager Joe Maddon plans to initially ease his workload.
"As we get into next week, we'll try to get him involved in games to get him at-bats, that kind of stuff," Maddon said. "Get him on the field, not play a complete game. We're trying to figure out entire program, but we got to get him in a game and get him going.
"We chose this path. He's feeling good. So Tuesday we'll have a much better idea. But the plan is to get him involved in the game. Maybe not for (nine) innings, but to get him involved."
Contreras expects to start Tuesday night when the Cubs open a three-game series against the New York Mets but acknowledged he hadn't spoken to Maddon.
"I'm looking forward to talking to (Maddon) to see what the plan is," said Contreras, who was batting .274 with 21 home runs and 70 RBIs. "I'm ready to play, and I'm back."
Contreras is one of hardest-working Cubs, and he understands Maddon's plea to monitor his effort.
"You learn from injury," Contreras said. "That's the price you pay playing 110 percent every day. But from now, I have to let the situation (dictate) when I can run hard and when I cannot."
The Cubs were 18-11 in Contreras' absence, and he credited catchers Alex Avila and Rene Rivera for carrying the load.
