Darwin Barney injury: Cubs 2B placed on disabled list

UPDATE: The Cubs have officially placed Darwin Barney on the 15-day disabled list and selected the contract of infielder Alberto Gonzalez to give the club more depth up the middle while Barney is out, reports Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago.

Young right-hander Robert Whitenack has been designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Gonzalez.

ORIGINAL: Chicago Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney will be sidelined for Opening Day due to a laceration on his knee, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Barney suffered a gash in his left knee Saturday that required five stitches. He sustained the injury while attempting to catch a fly ball in foul territory during an exhibition contest against the Houston Astros.

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Wittenmyer notes that Cubs' doctors are still determining if Barney's injury will require the second baseman to be placed on the disabled list. For now, he's simply been ruled out for Monday's regular season opener versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. With Barney sidelined, Brent Lillibridge is expected to get the start at second.

Barney has been the Cubs' regular second baseman over the past two seasons. The 27-year-old hit .254/.299/.354 with 26 doubles, four triples and seven home runs over 588 plate appearances last season, and he owns a career batting line of .263/.305/.349. While his offense wasn't overly impressive in 2012, Barney was awarded a Gold Glove Award as a result of his defense.

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