MLB Player News

Montero is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in San Diego, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

It's the first day off this month for Montero, who is 3-for-17 with 11 strikeouts over his last four contests. Kris Bryant is handling first base Wednesday.

Manager David Ross expressed optimism Tuesday that Candelario (back) could return next week, Mike McGraw of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.

Candelario has been sidelined for over a week now due to a lower-back strain, but it sounds like he is making some semblance of progress with his side work. The 29-year-old corner infielder had registered a .773 OPS with five homers and two steals through 36 games for Chicago prior to landing on the injured list.

Young was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Young will give the Cubs an extra option on the infield as Nick Madrigal heads to the 10-day injured list because of a right hamstring strain. Young, 28, has slashed just .171/.256/.371 across 39 major-league plate appearances this year.

Votto went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in Monday's 7-3 win over the Twins.

Votto added insurance with a two-run single in the seventh inning that made it a 7-2 game. The two runs knocked in leave him with 37 RBI over 57 games. The 40-year-old is 6-for-22 (.273) with a home run, a double, four RBI and four runs scored over six games since returning from a shoulder injury.

Freeman went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored in Monday's 8-3 win over the Tigers.

Freeman's steal was his 20th of the season, the first time he's reached that milestone in his career. The 34-year-old first baseman clearly isn't letting up for his effort level even with the Dodgers securing the NL West title. He's been strong in September, hitting .304 (17-for-56) this month, down from his .335 mark for the year. He's added a .983 OPS, 26 home runs, 93 RBI and 124 runs scored through 148 contests. Freeman sat out Sunday for the first time all season, though he may get some additional rest over the remaining two weeks before the playoffs.

Cooper went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Monday's 11-9 win over the Rockies.

Cooper had struggled recently, going 1-for-13 over his previous seven games, though he had four walks in that span. His second-inning blast got the Padres on the board in this contest. The first baseman has a career-high 16 homers while adding 59 RBI, 40 runs scored, 17 doubles, a triple and a .252/.301/.421 slash line through 115 games between San Diego and Miami this season.

Steer went 3-for-4 with a double, one RBI and one run scored in Monday's 7-3 victory over the Twins.

Steer laced a double off Joe Ryan in the fourth inning for his 32nd of the year. He later added an RBI-single off Dallas Keuchel in the seventh inning for his third hit in the contest. Steer is looking to close out the year on a strong note and is now batting .278 with four homers, 10 RBI and eight runs over 61 at-bats in September. The 25-year-old is slashing .269/.358/.457 over 147 games amidst a breakout season.

Encarnacion-Strand is not in the lineup for Monday's game versus the Twins.

Encarnacion-Strand has hit home runs in both of his last two games, but those are the only two starts he's made in the Reds' past five contests, as his playing time versus righties has been lagging since Joey Votto returned from the injured list. Votto will pick up the start at first base Monday.

Olson's home run during Saturday's win over the Marlins was his 52nd of the season, setting a new franchise record for Atlanta, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Andruw Jones held the old record of 51, which he set in 2005. Olson leads the majors this season in both homers and RBI (129), and the biggest obstacle to him winning the NL MVP Award in 2023 could be the historic numbers put up by teammate Ronald Acuna (calf), who sits three long balls short of the first 40-60 season in baseball history.

Encarnacion-Strand went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 8-4 loss to the Mets.

Encarnacion-Strand homered for a second time in as many days; however, Sunday's blast didn't carry the same impact as his game-winning hit the previous day. He's given the Reds a lift during the chase for the playoffs, registering a .341/.370/.591 slash line with three home runs and seven RBI over 13 games in September.