MLB Player News

Shaw’s homer was a 351-footer barely over a leaping Nick Castellanos in left field. His first hit was a bunt single, with the Cubs taking advantage of the fact that it was Miguel Andujar and not Manny Machado at third. That ended up being well-timed, as Pete Crow-Armstrong followed it with a homer. Shaw’s exit velocity numbers are still pretty bad and his bat speed has dropped from last year, but he’s hitting .301/.342/.507 through 80 plate appearances. It’s just hard to see that leading to much playing time against righties while everyone is healthy for the Cubs.

Esteury Ruiz takes over in left field and will hit ninth in his place. Caissie cooled off considerably in recent weeks, and is hitting just .200/.242/.333 with two homers, 15 RBI and one steal through 30 games in his Marlins debut.

The Padres have a decision to make since Canning’s 30-day rehab assignment window is up at the end of the weekend. The 29-year-old, who is working his way back from last year’s Achilles injury, completed five innings during his fifth rehab outing earlier this week at Triple-A El Paso. It’s unclear whether he would be pitching in relief initially or jump into San Diego’s rotation mix. There should be some clarity on his status and role at some point before the weekend wraps up.

The deal is now official. Torrens will remain in New York through at least 2028 as one of the better backup catchers in the game. The 30-year-old impending free agent’s value is primarily on the defensive side where he remains elite at throwing out opposing would-be basestealers. He’ll continue backing up Francisco Alvarez for the next couple years.

Marsh grabs a seat on the bench for some extra rest following an early exit from Friday’s series opener with a right elbow contusion. The 28-year-old suffered the injury when he was hit by a pitch, but X-rays came back negative for any fractures. He should be ready to get back in the lineup once the pain and any swelling subsides. It’ll be rookie Felix Reyes taking over in left field in his absence.

Realmuto returns to Philadelphia’s lineup following a nearly two-week absence due to back spasms. The 35-year-old veteran backstop is hitting .259/.344/.352 with one homer and four RBI in 17 games this season. Hopefully the additional rest enables him to get back on track at the dish.

The move frees up a spot on Philadelphia’s active roster to bring back catcher J.T. Realmuto from the injured list. The versatile 33-year-old went hitless in 12 at-bats and got into just 13 games for the Phillies this season. He would make sense as a bench option on a contending roster but his days as even a part-time role player are probably finished.

It’s a routine off day for McLain with Reds manager Terry Francona moving Sal Stewart to second base to get Nathaniel Lowe into the lineup at DH to face Pirates righty Carmen Mlodzinski. JJ Bleday has been bumped up to the second spot in the order with McLain on the bench.

Ashcraft rejoins Cincinnati’s relief corps after missing three games on bereavement leave earlier this week. The 28-year-old righty has recorded one save to go along with a pristine 1.20 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 15/8 K/BB ratio across 15 innings this season.

Maxwell allowed four runs over one inning during his lone appearance for the Reds after being called up earlier this week. The 25-year-old has made nine appearances for Cincinnati in middle relief over the past two seasons.

Morales finds himself back with the Athletics in a long relief capacity after a roughly one-month stint back in the minors where his control issues persisted. The 23-year-old pitching prospect was lit up for 10 runs on 13 hits with an abysmal 5/8 K/BB ratio across 7 1/3 innings over two starts to open the season.