MLB Player News

Busch is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Matt Shaw will step in at first base in place of Busch, who will hit the bench after 14 consecutive starts to open the season. Though the Cubs often shielded him from left-handed pitching over the previous two seasons, Busch is expected to continue starting against southpaws more often than not in 2026. His move to the bench comes while Busch has been mired in an 0-for-30 slump at the dish that has dropped his season average to .118.

Tena is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

The left-handed-hitting Tena will hit the bench against Brewers righty Brandon Woodruff. Tena had started the Nationals' prior three matchups against righties, but he'll cede his spot in the lineup to Jorbit Vivas on Sunday.

Pauley is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.

Pauley had started the Marlins' last four games, but he'll take a seat against Tarik Skubal. He'll be joined on the bench by fellow left-handed hitters Owen Caissie and Liam Hicks.

Hayes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.

Hayes started the first two contests of the series versus the Halos and will take a seat for Sunday's finale with his hitless streak now extended to five games. Eugenio Suarez will step in at third base while Nathaniel Lowe receives a start at designated hitter.

Machado went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run against the Rockies in a 9-5 victory Saturday.

Machado's third-inning, two-run blast pulled the Padres to within a run after Colorado built a big early lead. The star third baseman has struggled to get his bat going, hitting just .193 through 14 games, so he'll look to Saturday's homer to spark a hot streak. Machado does have a 13:12 BB:K this season, and he's managed to get on base at a .367 clip despite the low batting average.

Bichette went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and two walks in Saturday's 11-6 loss to the Athletics.

It was a much-needed jolt for Bichette, who blasted his first homer of the year Saturday. The three RBI were also a season high, and the infielder is certainly beginning to find a groove at the dish following a 2-for-22 start to the season in March. Since the beginning of April, however, Bichette has hit safely in nine of his 10 games while batting .333 with three extra-base hits and six RBI.

Rumfield isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against San Diego.

Rumfield will grab a seat on the bench after going 1-for-9 with three strikeouts across the first two games of the series. Troy Johnston will move to first base to cover for Rumfield while Jordan Beck, Jake McCarthy and Mickey Moniak start in the outfield.

Vargas isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Philadelphia.

Vargas has logged a hit in each of the first eight games he's played in to begin the year, but he'll move to the bench Saturday after making four consecutive starts. Jose Fernandez will replace him at first base and bat fifth.

Vargas went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 4-1 win over Philadelphia.

Vargas extended a season-opening hit streak to eight games with a run-scoring single in the middle of Arizona's five-run fifth inning. He started at first base again, his third start there in the last four games since Carlos Santana (groin) joined Pavin Smith (elbow) on the 10-day injured list. Vargas has been a serviceable utility player throughout his career, but the 34-year-old's production early in 2026 (.429 AVG, 1.146 OPS) is off the charts.

Muncy went 4-for-5 with three solo home runs and five total runs scored in Friday's 8-7 win over the Rangers.

Muncy had a monster game with solo shots in the second, fourth and ninth innings. His third long ball was a walk-off blast to secure the win after Edwin Diaz blew the save chance in the top of the ninth. Muncy is up to four homers, four RBI, 11 runs scored, no stolen bases and a .286/.375/.571 slash line over 12 contests this season. He continues to see plenty of playing time at third base and should be in the lineup there versus nearly all right-handers, though he's likely to cede playing time against lefties to Santiago Espinal.