MLB Player News

Cubs infielder Mike Olt snapped out of a season-opening slump Wednesday, clubbing his second home run of the season in a 7-5 win over the Pirates.

Olt doubled his hit total for the season with one game, going 2 for 5 in the win, with both hits driving in runs. He hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning to give the Cubs their first lead, and then provided the ultimate winning margin with a sixth-inning RBI single.

Olt is hitting just .158 through the first eight games of the season, but has two home runs and four RBI.  

The Pirates managed to score five runs on just five hits Wednesday against the Cubs, and they all came on solo home runs.

Third baseman Pedro Alvarez got the scoring started with his fifth-inning shot, and he followed that up with one more in the ninth. The Pirates also got a two home-run game out of catcher Russell Martin, while Travis Snider added his own longball in the 7-5 loss.

Alvarez now has four home runs on the season, while Snider and Martin both went deep for the first time in Wednesday's game. 

Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu went 3 for 4 with two runs, three RBI and his first stolen base of the season in his team's 10-4 win over the White Sox Wednesday.

LeMahieu smacked an RBI double in the sixth inning and drove two more home with a single in the eighth. He has hit .286/.364/.321 with six RBI in 28 at-bats.

Phillies third baseman Cody Asche is not in Wednesday's starting lineup due to a minor hamstring injury, MLB.com reports.

Manager Ryne Sandberg says the injury isn't serious, so Asche should be ready to return to the lineup within a day or two. He has hit .273/.360/.455 with one home run and three RBI in 22 at-bats.

The Nationals got a boost from infielder Anthony Rendon Tuesday, who accounted for most of the team's offense in a 5-0 win over the Marlins.

Rendon drove in three runs in the game, though all ended up being just insurance runs late. He drove in one in the sixth inning on a single, and then brought two more around with a double in the eighth.

Rendon raised his batting average to .407 with his 2-for-4 performance, while upping his RBI total to eight through seven games.  

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura was not in the team's starting lineup Sunday.

It's unclear whether it's a normal day of rest for Segura, or if the team is still giving him occasional off-days to rest his shoulder. Segura also had a brutal night defensively Saturday, and it's not known whether that played a role in the decision. He should return Monday.

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado had a huge game Saturday, going 3 for 4 with a double, two home runs and three RBI in his team's 9-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Arenado hit solo home runs off Arizona starter Brandon McCarthy in the fourth and sixth innings before adding a double during the two-run eighth inning. He entered play just 3 for 21 with no extra-base hits. Arenado has four more games at home before the Rockies hit the road again.

Cubs third baseman Mike Olt has returned to the starting lineup Saturday.

Olt was held out of Friday's game due to concerns about his shoulder. The club doesn't want Olt to over-exert himself early. It doesn't seem to be a serious concern, however, and Olt will get right back into the lineup Saturday. He will hit sixth.

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez came up big at the plate, launching a pair of home runs in his team's 12-2 win over the Cardinals.

Alvarez took St. Louis starter Shelby Miller deep for a pair of solo home runs in the second and fourth innings, respectively. He drove in another run on a ground out in the eighth inning and finished 2 for 4 with one walk, three runs and three RBI. He improved his batting average to .158 (3 for 19) on the year.

Rick Renteria plans on easing Cubs promising third baseman Mike Olt into the lineup as an every-day player to take it easy on a shoulder that experienced soreness this spring, per ESPN.

Renteria cited slick conditions at Wrigley Field for holding Olt out of the lineup Friday against Philadelphia. Olt slugged his first major league home run Thursday against Pittsburgh.