MLB Player News

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Thursday that Bregman (face) resumed hitting Wednesday and it "went well," per Patrick Mooney of The Athletic.

Bregman suffered multiple facial fractures and a swollen left eye after being struck by a ball while in the on-deck circle last week. He took swings off the Trajekt machine Wednesday and is "feeling good in terms of the hitting part," according to Counsell, who added that the third baseman "needs to get the swelling down" in his left cheek before being cleared to play in games. The Cubs aren't ruling Bregman out for a return this weekend in Boston, but he will continue to be evaluated on a day-to-day basis.

Garcia is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the White Sox.

The Royals have given Garcia one day off per series since he returned from the injured list last week. After reaching base seven times in the first two games of the three-game set, he'll grab a seat during Thursday's matinee. Nick Loftin will play third base in Garcia's stead.

Machado went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a third RBI in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Dodgers.

This was Machado's fifth homer of September, and it ended up being all the Padres needed for the win Wednesday. The third baseman has added 13 RBI while batting .200 this month. On the year, he's hitting .218 with a .713 OPS, 29 homers, 87 RBI, 81 runs scored, 22 doubles and five stolen bases. Machado has as many as four games to push for the 30-homer mark, which he hasn't reached since 2023.

Gelof went 2-for-3 with a double, a hit-by-pitch, two stolen bases and a run scored in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Angels.

Gelof logged his third multi-hit effort during a six-game hitting streak. The steals were his first since he swiped two bags Sept. 7 versus the Blue Jays. The 26-year-old continues to offer a little of everything, batting .256 with a .789 OPS, 20 home runs, 16 steals, 52 RBI, 72 runs scored, 16 doubles and two triples over 107 contests this season.

Garcia went 3-for-3 with three RBI, a run, and a double in Wednesday's 5-4 win against the White Sox.

Garcia drove home the first two runs of the game and then got the go-ahead RBI in the seventh inning with a double off of Hagen Smith to score Bobby Witt Jr. The 26-year-old has missed a lot of time in the past three months because of two IL stints due to hand and hamstring injuries, so this is the first time Garcia has had three or more RBI since June 14. When he has played, Garcia is slashing .263/.325/.378 with 38 RBI, 20 doubles, five stolen bases and three homers in 80 games.

McMahon went 2-for-4 with a grand slam and an additional RBI in Wednesday's 9-2 win over Tampa Bay.

McMahon extended New York's lead to 2-0 in the second inning with a two-out RBI single before breaking the game open with a grand slam off Mason Englert in the third. It was a much-needed performance for McMahon, who'd gone just 1-for-17 in six games prior to Wednesday. Overall, he's slashing .210/.276/.352 across 356 plate appearances this year with 11 homers, 40 RBI and 32 runs scored.

Rodden isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against Houston.

Rodden will take a seat Wednesday after failing to record a hit in each of his last 10 at-bats -- seven of which ended in a strikeout. Weston Wilson will fill in at third base and bat ninth.

Kuroda-Grauer went 0-for-2 in Tuesday's 9-7 win over the Angels.

Kuroda-Grauer came up empty in his first MLB game since July 20 after recovering from surgery for a ruptured testicle. The 23-year-old has impressed in a small sample with the Athletics, slashing .403/.422/.565 with a homer, four RBI and eight runs in 64 plate appearances. Kuroda-Grauer started Tuesday's contest at second base and figures to continue seeing action at the keystone over the club's final five games of the regular season.

The Rockies outrighted Machin to Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday.

Machin was removed from the 40-man roster last week and has since passed through waivers. Because he's been outrighted previously, Machin has the ability to decline the Rockies' outright assignment and become a free agent. However, it's unclear what the infielder's plans are.

Red Sox manager Chad Tracy indicated Tuesday that Mead (wrist) is a long shot to be available for the postseason, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Mead has been sidelined for almost two months with a fractured left wrist that he suffered in his second plate appearance after joining the Red Sox. He began hitting off a tee last week, but his overall progress has been slow and it seems he's likely to run out of time. Mead is under team control through the 2030 campaign.