Carlos Pena (thumb) will continue to play through his recent slump.

His thumb isn't yet 100 percent, but Pena and Cubs manager Mike Quade have apparently come to an agreement. Pena, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract over the winter, is batting just .167 with 23 strikeouts over his first 66 at-bats. It's tough to recommend him in fantasy right now, especially if Jeff Baker continues to see at-bats against left-handers and some right-handers, as well.

Carlos Pena will return to the lineup Sunday after receiving the last two days off as a "mental breather."

Pena's Cubs' career is off to a horrible start, as he's hitting only .159/.289/.175 with no homers and five RBI. But, manager Mike Quade put to rest that he might fall into a platoon situation at first base with Jeff Baker or anyone else. ``Carlos is signed here to be the first baseman,'' Quade said. ``Baker is going to be a guy that plays all over the field. And we're going to need Carlos to contribute. And if Baker plays some third, some second, some outfield, some first, and if he stays doing what he's doing, we're going to find a way to keep him in the lineup a lot.''

Carlos Pena is out of Friday's lineup against the Diamondbacks.

Jeff Baker will play first base Friday and bat fifth. It's telling that Mike Quade is sitting Pena against the right-hander Armando Galarraga, but the Cubs need to get some production out of first base right now. Pena went 0-for-4 on Thursday and is now batting .159 over his first 63 at-bats this season.

Cubs manager Mike Quade said Tuesday that he doesn't intend to platoon Carlos Pena at first base.

``It can't be a platoon system for me because I still would like the left-handed power in the middle of that lineup that I know Carlos has,'' said Quade. ``And I'm not willing to bail on that two weeks, three weeks into the season in April in Chicago. Hopefully, that's a conversation for never." That may be the case, but Jeff Baker has started at first base the last three times the Cubs have faced a left-handed starting pitcher. Pena continues to struggle, so this situation is worth monitoring.

Carlos Pena (thumb) is back in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies.

He didn't start Wednesday's game so that he could rest his ailing right thumb. Pena has at least drawn seven walks, but he's batting just .185 (5-for-27) with 10 strikeouts to begin the year.

Cubs manager Mike Quade admitted that he was "a little" concerned about Carlos Pena's thumb injury.

``He said he felt OK swinging the bat," Quade said. "But I don't think it's exactly the way he'd like it. Hopefully, these couple of days will help that.'' Pena, who has been wearing a plastic guard over the thumb, was rested Wednesday, and the Cubs hope that day off, combined with the scheduled day off Thursday, will be enough to get the first baseman over the hump.

Carlos Pena is still dealing with pain in his right thumb.

Pena has been wearing a thumb brace/cast inside his glove since initially suffering the injury on April 4, but he hasn't been able to shake the pain. "There's always a risk-reward (for) every single time a ball's thrown at you," said Pena. "I thought we were on the right track there for a couple days: Boom! A ball hits me again and I'm like: `Here we go, two steps back.'" Pena, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract over the winter, is batting just .185 with 10 strikeouts over his first 27 at-bats this season. He didn't start Wednesday and the Cubs have a scheduled off-day Thursday, so the Cubs hope the extra rest will give him time to heal.

Carlos Pena (thumb) is back in the Cubs' starting lineup Friday.

Pena sprained his thumb during Monday's game and sat out Tuesday and Wednesday. He'll bat sixth against left-hander Randy Wolf on Friday.

Carlos Pena (thumb) is out of the Cubs' starting lineup again Wednesday.

Pena hoped to return to the lineup Wednesday, but he apparently needs at least another day. Tyler Colvin -- who homered and drove in three runs Tuesday -- will fill in again Wednesday.

Carlos Pena (thumb) is hoping to return to the Cubs' starting lineup on Wednesday.

Pena sprained his thumb during Monday's game and is sitting out Tuesday. He thinks that Thursday's scheduled off day should allow him to play Wednesday and then recuperate properly. Tyler Colvin drew the start at first base on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.

Carlos Pena (thumb) is available to pinch hit in Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Pena sprained his thumb on Monday. "I can probably use him if I needed to late," Cubs manager Mike Quade said Tuesday. "But we'll see. We'll be careful with it and we'll get a chance to watch [Tyler] Colvin at first base."

Carlos Pena (thumb) is not in Tuesday's lineup.

Pena suffered a sprained thumb during Monday's series-opening game against the Diamondbacks and is day-to-day. Tyler Colvin will start at first base Tuesday.

Carlos Pena is day-to-day with a sprained thumb.

Reed Johnson pinch-hit for Pena in the bottom of the eighth inning, so it was obvious something was going on. Fortunately it doesn't sound like anything serious, though.

Carlos Pena took the Angels' Francisco Rodriguez deep for a three-run homer in the first inning on Monday.

His third bomb of the spring ultimately won't count because the game was postponed, but was encouraging nonetheless, as it helped up his spring average to .293 after he got off to a brutal start. It's unlikely Pena's average is going to jump all the way back up to the .250-.260 range this season, but he should get a nice boost from his move to the National League.

Carlos Pena went 2-for-3 against the White Sox on Friday, hitting his first home run of the spring in the process.

He laced a solo shot off of Mark Buehrle in the second inning. The multi-hit, and multi-RBI, game was his first of the spring. Through 19 at-bats, he is hitting .200.

Carlos Pena went 0-for-3 with a strikeout against the Reds on Sunday, dropping his spring average to .071.

These may be exhibition games, but Pena has certainly picked up where he left off last season, going 1-for-14 with five strikeouts thus far this spring. That's not a reason to pass on drafting him this year, but his .196 2010 mark is.

Carlos Pena said he would be open to discussing an extension with the Cubs at any time.

Obviously it's not going to happen anytime soon, as the Cubs signed him to a one-year, $10 million deal just a couple months ago. It's possible the team could be interested in extending him if he gets off to a nice start, though. However, that would rule them out for free-agent-to-be Albert Pujols, and the Cubs have been among the teams most prominently mentioned as a possible landing spot for the best player in the game.

Cubs signed 1B Carlos Pena to a one-year, $10 million contract.

We don't see a .196 hitter get $10 million very often, but the Cubs did pretty well here. Pena has topped 28 home runs in each of the past four seasons and should enjoy hitting in Wrigley Field. If the 32-year-old first baseman is able to rebuild his value in 2011, he will be able to find a more lucrative multi-year contract next winter.

According to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com, the Cubs have signed Carlos Pena to a one-year contract believed to be worth $10 million.

Updating a previous item, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports that the Cubs appear close to a deal with Carlos Pena.

A source told Muskat that the two sides had finalized a one-year contract, but a team official said it was too early to say the deal was done. The Cubs met with Pena's agent Scott Boras on Tuesday night and the team expects to hear more Wednesday.