MLB Player News

The 28-year-old southpaw walked one and struck out four on the day, throwing 41 of his 63 total pitches for strikes. Cubs’ skipper Craig Counsell told reporters afterwards that all went well with Steele’s start and that he’ll meet the team in Chicago on Friday to determine the next step. It had been anticipated that Steele would only require one minor league rehab start before he was cleared to return, and it’s looking like that very well could be the case.

Three days after blowing his second save of the season, Diaz blew another save opportunity against the Phiilies. Pitching with a one-run lead, Diaz walked Brandon Marsh to start the ninth inning. Marsh advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Bryson Stott. All three of Diaz’ blown saves have come in the month of May. Once an elite closer, Diaz is showing the rust of someone who missed an entire season with a knee injury.

Bohm continues to bash the ball this season as his average is .331. Bohm has a 15 percent strikeout percentage since the beginning of last season. He’s someone you can count on for a solid batting average and entrenched in the middle of the Phillies batting order. Bohm is also benefiting greatly from a .381 BABIP, which is 55 points higher than his career .326 BABIP. He probably has to cool off at some point, but his profile doesn’t scream sell high.

The homer was Alonso’s 10th of the season. He’s probably having his worst season of his career so far. Still, Alonso is one of the most reliable players in fantasy baseball and we’ll almost certainly still be looking at close to 40 home runs and 100 RBI from him at the end of the season.

Quintana had only thrown 81 pitches when he was removed with runners on first and second and one out in the bottom of the sixth. Those runs scored on Alec Bohm’s double and Nick Castellanos’ sacrifice fly. Quintana struck out four and lowered his ERA to 5.21 on the season. The 35-year-old left-hander is set to face the Guardians on the road in his next start.

The save was Bednar’s ninth of the season. He pitched a clean ninth inning and recorded a strikeout to preserve a one-run lead. After a shaky start to the season, Bednar now has back-to-back clean innings in save opportunities.

Olivares is a platoon player and made the most of his opportunity with a double and a home run against Cubs left-hander Justin Steele. The home run was his fifth of the season. Olivares was replaced by Rowdy Tellez once the left-handed pitcher was removed from the game.

The homer was just Happ’s second of the year. It has undeniably been a down year for the 29-year-old outfielder. His power has cratered as his ISO is just .100 compared to his career .198 ISO. Most of Happ’s utility comes from playing everyday. He’s played 158 games in each of the last two seasons. Last season was his best year as he was able to compile 21 home runs, 86 runs scored, 84 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. He won’t be able to reach those numbers this season, but his $20 million average annual value should still keep him in the lineup everyday.

Steele struck out seven batters, but he looked shaky for his second start in a row. His ERA increased to 5.68 in his four starts this season. Steele has 18 strikeouts and a 3.78 xFIP in 19 innings this season. The 28-year-old left-hander isn’t a lost cause, but he’s certainly a tough pitcher to start against the Braves next week.

Jones was top notch once again and earned his third win of the season. He induced 15 whiffs and had a 29 percent CSW on the night. His ERA is 2.89 on the season. Jones is pretty easily a top 20 starting pitcher for the rest of the season. The 22-year-old right-hander is set to face the Giants at home in his next start.

Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times adds that the Mariners aren’t certain when Crawford will return as he’s dealing with soreness and swelling in his right hand after being hit by a pitch during Wednesday’s rehab contest for Triple-A Tacoma. The 29-year-old shortstop will presumably undergo additional testing and imaging to determine the extent of the injury. There should be an update on his status at some point in the next few days.