MLB Player News

Busch got the scoring started for the Cubs in the third when he blasted a solo homer 434 feet to center field. The homer marked Busch’s eighth of the season and his first since May 7th. Busch has hit just two homers since his five-game home run streak ended on April 16th, and he’s hitting just .206/.316/.382 this month.

Soriano returns for another stint with the Marlins in place of an injured Andrew Nardi (elbow). The 25-year-old righty has posted an inflated 7.32 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 18/9 K/BB ratio across 19 2/3 innings (15 appearances) this season in the big leagues.

No word yet on the severity of the issue, which will determine how much time Nardi is going to miss. With just a few weeks left in the season, it’s possible he’s done for the year. The 26-year-old lefty has made 59 relief appearances this season for the Marlins, compiling a serviceable 5.07 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 70/18 K/BB ratio across 49 2/3 innings of work.

The positive news here is that initial tests ruled out anything elbow-related with Hicks telling reporters afterwards that the sensation he experienced while warming up might be related to pectoral tightness. There should be an update on his status at some point this weekend. It’s worth noting that the hard-throwing 27-year-old righty has tossed a career-high 107 2/3 innings this season in his Giants debut.

Suárez returns to Philadelphia’s starting rotation to take the ball on Saturday evening against the Royals after missing nearly one month due to lower back soreness. The 28-year-old southpaw boasts a stellar 2.87 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 116/27 K/BB ratio across 119 1/3 innings (20 starts) this season. There shouldn’t be any workload concerns right out of the gate after Suárez threw 57 pitches over a four-inning simulated game earlier this week.

Gilbert was added to Philadelphia’s bullpen last weekend and only wound up making one relief appearance before being shipped back to the minors.

O’Neill is day-to-day after suffering a finger injury during batting practice ahead of Friday’s series opener against Arizona at Chase Field. It’ll be Rob Refsnyder taking over in left field in his place for the second straight contest.

LeMahieu remains out of New York’s lineup after being hit in the face by an errant throw on Friday during batting practice. There isn’t much of a role for the veteran infielder anymore with Jazz Chisholm Jr. back from the injured list.

Blewett finds himself back in Minnesota’s bullpen ahead of Saturday’s contest against the Cardinals to replace lefty Steven Okert. The 28-year-old righty made one relief appearance earlier this month for Minnesota after posting a solid 3.66 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 52/17 K/BB in 51 2/3 innings (36 appearances) for Triple-A St. Paul.

Okert has been jettisoned from Minnesota’s active roster after posting a lackluster 5.09 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 33/16 K/BB ratio across 35 1/3 innings (44 appearances). The 33-year-old veteran lefty, who was acquired back in mid-February from the Marlins in a small trade, has made 272 career appearances in the big leagues dating back to 2016.

Here’s an oversimplification: Mathews has looked like one of the best pitching prospects in baseball for a couple months now, compiling a stellar 0.70 ERA, 0.58 WHIP and 40/4 K/BB ratio across four starts since August 6. The hard-throwing 23-year-old southpaw generated 24 swinging strikes and allowed just three baserunners while working into the eighth inning of this one. At this point, it’s probably worth it for the Cardinals to see how he fares at the highest level. He’s long gone in competitive dynasty leagues, but is worthy of a speculative stash in deeper re-draft formats.