MLB Player News

All three of Cruz’s hits were blasted with a 121.5 mph double, a 120.4 mph single, and a 116.3 mph double. He’s now the first player in the Statcast era to have three hits in one game over 115 mph, and his 121.5 mph double is the hardest-hit ball in MLB action this year, topping the 120.4 mph single he hit earlier in the game today. That’s quite a performance. Cruz is 19-for-64 (.297) in May with four home runs, 10 runs scored, and 11 RBI. He does have 18 strikeouts in 16 games, but his production has certainly started to tick up and if stolen bases follow, we could see a full breakout.

That’s certainly not the news that the Cubs were hoping for. Now rather than missing just a couple of weeks, it’s likely that the 24-year-old southpaw will be looking at an extended absence. Kyle Hendricks is expected to hold down Wicks’ spot in the Cubs’ rotation for the foreseeable future.

He’ll throw another bullpen early next week and if all goes well with that session, it sounds like Senga will finally be cleared to face live hitters. He’s still going to need several minor league rehab starts before he’s an option to join the Mets’ rotation, but he’s at least taking small steps in the right direction.

It’s unclear how many times he’ll have to repeat the process before he’s able to face live pitching, but it’s encouraging to hear that he’s swinging the bat once again. The 24-year-old slugger is hopeful that he’ll be able to return in early July.

The 24-year-old outfielder is expected to be ready for a minor league rehab assignment early next week, and should only need a couple of games to get his timing back before he’s ready to rejoin the Red Sox’ lineup. Before landing on the injured list in early June, Abreu had been hitting .272/.344/.485 with six homers, 22 RBI and seven stolen bases through his first 189 plate appearances.

Happ extended Chicago’s lead to a commanding four-run margin with a three-run blast off Cardinals lefty reliever John King with two outs in the seventh inning. It was his seventh round-tripper of the season and first time he’s gone deep since May 31.

Imanaga got his first taste of the storied NL Central rivalry on Saturday afternoon at historic Wrigley Field and delivered another masterpiece, throwing a career-high 103 pitches and limiting St. Louis’ lineup to just four baserunners over seven stellar frames. He induced 14 swinging strikes, with a dozen of them coming on his splitter/sweeper combo, and allowed just seven batted balls with an exit velocity in excess of 95 mph. The 30-year-old Japanese southpaw has been a revelation this season in his Cubs debut, allowing two earned runs or fewer in 12 of his 13 starts so far. He’ll carry a microscopic 1.89 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 78/11 K/BB ratio across 76 innings (13 starts) into a home outing on Friday against the Mets.

Pallante turned in a perfect opening frame before engineering a masterful escape after giving up back-to-back hits to open the second inning. He got into trouble in the fourth inning after giving up consecutive hits to open the frame and was lifted for reliever Chris Roycroft after striking out Ian Happ and wound up being charged with a pair of runs following his departure. He struck out four and didn’t hand out a free pass. The 25-year-old righty figures to continue operating in a swingman-type role for the Cardinals moving forward.

The 30-year-old outfielder awkwardly rounded second base before pulling up and retreating during the first inning. He stayed in the game initially, but was ultimately lifted two innings later. Expect the Nationals to provide an update on his status shortly.

The 29-year-old hurler was jettisoned off of the Brewers’ 40-man roster earlier in the week, but he passed through waivers unclaimed and will continue to function as extra bullpen depth for the team at the Triple-A level.

With Jonah Heim hitting the paternity list on Saturday, Huff will get another opportunity to show what he can do at the big-league level. Huff has appeared in one game but has not had a plate appearance for the Rangers this season. He’s a career .262/.314/.462 hitter with 10 homers and 20 RBI in 210 plate appearances at the game’s highest level.