MLB Player News

Bregman was only away for two days from the team. He’ll be back with the Red Sox as the starting third baseman, and he replaces Nick Sogard on the active roster.

He’s playing first base and batting fourth against the Cubs.

Arenado is batting sixth against the Cubs. Thomas Saggese heads back to the bench after filling in for Arenado on Wednesday.

Steer was hit by a pitch in the first game Wednesday. With Steer and Noelvi Marte in the lineup, the Reds are sitting Christian Encarnacion-Strand today against a lefty.

It’ll be his first MLB start after two appearances in which he’s allowed one run in six innings. He pitched four innings last time out for Triple-A Syracuse, and he could probably throw around 80 pitches if all goes well today.

Abel’s ugly outing Wednesday has cost him his spot for now. He could return as the Phillies’ fifth starter after the break, but the team will also have Andrew Painter as an option then. First, Taijuan Walker is expected to get the call Tuesday, which is the one remaining time the Phillies will need a fifth starter before the break. It ended badly, but Abel did show some promise in his six major league starts. He heads back to Triple-A with a 5.04 ERA, but he had a 2.21 ERA and a 17/4 K/BB over 20 1/3 innings in his first four outings.

Johnson will get the chance to stick around as a middle reliever after serving as a 27th man in Wednesday’s doubleheader. He’s allowed one run in four innings for the Phillies this season. He had a 4.43 ERA and a 53/26 K/BB in 42 2/3 innings in Triple-A.

Marte, who hit .333 with two homers and just one strikeout during a nine-game rehab assignment, is back two months after suffering a strained oblique. The Reds have him starting at third base and batting seventh today. His return should result in far less playing time for Santiago Espinal, but Espinal is starting at second with Matt McLain DHing today. Christian Encarnacion-Strand could also lose some at-bats. Marte should be worth playing in mixed leagues; he was batting .294/.342/.515 with three homers and four steals in 19 games before getting hurt.

The Reds will happily welcome back one of the key cogs in their pen. Ashcraft had a 4.19 ERA and a 38/14 K/BB in 34 1/3 innings before going down with a groin strain last month.

Vilade appeared in only one game during his nine days with the Reds and didn’t get an at-bat. The former Rockies prospect has played in just 28 major league games since debuting in 2022 and gone 9-for-64 with a homer as his only extra-base hit.

Benschoter didn’t get to make his major league debut during his three days with the Reds, but at least he’s on the 40-man roster now. He had his contract selected Tuesday to serve as an option in middle relief.