MLB Player News

Church will bat ninth and play center field Friday against Tampa Bay.

Church was initially tabbed for a night off, but he'll enter the starting nine Friday after Brendan Donovan (wrist) was scratched. Church is hitless in 14 at-bats this season, but he's driven in two runs, scored four times and stolen a bag.

The Cubs placed Brasier on the 15-day injured list Friday due to a left groin strain.

The injury may explain Brasier's recent struggles out of the bullpen, with the veteran right-hander allowing eight runs on 11 hits and two walks while striking out three batters across five innings in his last six outings. He'll undergo further tests to determine the severity of the injury, but he'll be out of action until at least Sept. 6. In a corresponding move, the Cubs recalled Javier Assad from Triple-A Iowa, and Assad will start against the Angels on Friday.

The Cubs recalled Assad from Triple-A Iowa, and he is scheduled to start against the Angels on Friday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Assad will take the spot on the Cubs' 26-man roster vacated by Ryan Brasier (groin), who was placed on the 15-day injured list. Assad was dispatched to Triple-A on Monday, but he'll provide some short-term relief in the rotation with Michael Soroka (shoulder) on the 15-day IL.

Burleson was scratched from Friday's lineup with a wrist injury, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Burleson was initially slated to bat third and play left field, but a wrist injury will prevent him from doing so. Instead, Lars Nootbaar will slide over to left while Nathan Church enters the lineup and plays center field.

Merrill (ankle) is not in the Padres' starting lineup against the Dodgers on Friday.

Merrill will ride the bench for a fifth consecutive game while working through a left ankle contusion that he suffered this past Sunday against the Dodgers. It's not clear whether an IL stint is needed, but the lack of new lockers in the Padres' clubhouse doesn't suggest any player being called up from the minors anytime soon, so Merrill could be available to return at some point during this weekend's home series, per Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Ramon Laureano will start in center field and bat seventh.

X-rays on McNeil's right shoulder came back negative, and he is available off the bench for Friday's game against Atlanta, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

McNeil is out of the Mets' lineup for a second straight game due to a right shoulder issue, but the good news for the veteran is that imaging didn't reveal any structural damage. He'll be available off the bench as a pinch hitter and could return to the lineup at some point during this weekend's three-game road series.

The Brewers activated Bauers (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Bauers has been sidelined since just after the All-Star break with a left shoulder impingement but is ready to go after homering three times in five rehab games. The 29-year-old will likely operate primarily as a reserve bat.

The Brewers placed Ortiz (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list Friday with a left hamstring strain, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Ortiz left Thursday's game against the Cubs after grabbing at his hamstring while running out a groundball, and further testing revealed he's dealing with a strain. Per McCalvy, it's a low-grade strain. The 26-year-old shortstop's spot on the 26-man roster will go to Jake Bauers (shoulder), who's being activated from the injured list in a corresponding move. Look for Andruw Monasterio and Brice Turang to handle most of the action at shortstop while Ortiz is idle.

Tinoco (forearm) will undergo surgery to repair his right forearm flexor and is expected to miss most, or all, of the 2026 season, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Tinoco has been on the shelf since June 6 with a strained right forearm and was shut down from throwing Aug. 12. He'll require a procedure to fix his right forearm flexor. Tinoco will have the surgery in early September and could miss the entirety of the 2026 campaign. The 30-year-old ends the 2025 season with a 5.12 ERA and 10:8 K:BB across 19.1 innings.

Betts went 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs Thursday in a 9-5 victory against the Rockies.

Betts got a turn in the leadoff slot with Shohei Ohtani (thigh) given a rest day. The outfielder-turned-shortstop set the table well in the series finale, reaching four times and scoring twice. Betts went through an 0-for-20 five-game stretch from late July to early August that brought his season batting average down to .231, but he's bounced back nicely since, slashing .351/.415/.491 with two homers, nine RBI, 14 runs and a 6:4 BB:K over his past 14 contests. Betts' .689 OPS on the campaign is still tracking toward his worst career mark by far, but he's at least surging at the right time as the Dodgers head into the stretch with a one-game lead over San Diego in the NL West.