MLB Player News

The Cubs are expected to activate Boyd (biceps) from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday's home game versus the Phillies, MLB.com reports.

Placed on the shelf April 6 due to a left biceps strain, Boyd looks poised to return from the IL in just over the minimum amount of time after checking out well following his rehab start Thursday with Triple-A Iowa. Boyd tossed 3.2 innings and 64 pitches in his appearance for Iowa, striking out six batters while allowing three earned runs on four hits and one walk. He could be operating with a light workload restriction Wednesday but should be capable of reaching the five innings he would need to hit to qualify for a win.

Harris went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's win over the Phillies.

The center fielder capped a strong performance by taking Orion Kerkering deep in the eighth inning. It was Harris' third homer of the season, and over four games since returning from paternity leave he's collected five hits, boosting his slash line to .258/.290/.409 with two steals, seven runs and eight RBI.

Smith went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's win over the Phillies.

The 30-year-old got hold of a splitter up in the zone from Taijuan Walker in the third inning, giving Smith his fourth homer of the season. He's put together a blistering start to the season as Atlanta's primary DH against right-handed pitching, slashing .362/.380/.660 over 50 plate appearances with 10 runs and 16 RBI, but Smith's playing time will likely take a hit once Sean Murphy (hip) is cleared to come off the IL.

Suarez gave up two hits and a walk over three scoreless innings Friday to record his first save of the season in a win over the Phillies.

Atlanta waltzed to a 9-0 victory, and Suarez finished out the shutout after Martin Perez had tossed six innings. Suarez has filled a swingman role to begin the season, posting a 6.35 ERA, 1.94 WHIP and 12:5 K:BB in 11.1 innings over five appearances (one start), but he could lose his spot on the 26-man roster once Spencer Strider (oblique) is ready for his 2026 debut.

Steer isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game versus Minnesota.

Steer will catch a breather Saturday after going 0-for-5 with a pair of strikeouts across his last two games. While he sits, Will Benson, TJ Friedl and Rece Hinds will form Cincinnati's outfield trio.

McLain isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Twins.

McLain will get a day off to reset after going 0-for-11 with five strikeouts and six walks over his last four games. His absence will put Sal Stewart at second base, opening up first for Nathaniel Lowe.

Walker (1-3) took the loss Friday as the Phillies were routed 9-0 by Atlanta, coughing up seven runs on seven hits and three walks over four innings. He struck out four.

The right-hander served up homers to Austin Riley in the second inning and Dominic Smith in the third, the second time in four starts that Walker has been taken deep multiple times. It's been a brutal beginning to the year for the 33-year-old, and he carries a 9.16 ERA, 2.04 WHIP and 16:10 K:BB through 18.2 innings. Zack Wheeler (shoulder) will make what could be his final rehab start Sunday, but that schedule would allow Walker to get one more turn through the rotation on the road next week against the Cubs before being replaced.

Riley went 2-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI in Friday's 9-0 win over the Phillies.

The third baseman went 18 games without a long ball to begin the season, but Riley has now gone yard three times in the last two contests after he launched a couple opposite-field homers Friday -- a three-run shot off a Taijuan Walker cutter in the third inning, and a solo blast on a Chase Shugart fastball in the ninth. Riley also has five multi-hit performances in the last nine games, a stretch in which he's slashing .316/.381/.632 with three doubles, two steals, 10 runs and 11 RBI.

Perez (1-1) picked up the win Friday, allowing four hits and two walks over six scoreless innings in a 9-0 rout of the Phillies. He struck out four.

On paper at least, it's been a hectic week for the veteran southpaw. Perez started for Atlanta last Saturday, was DFA'ed on Sunday as the team scrambles to patch together its staff in the wake of injuries, elected to become a free agent Tuesday, re-signed a minor-league deal with the club Wednesday and was added back to the 26-man roster Friday to make his next start. The transactional shenanigans didn't faze Perez at all, as he tossed 59 of 94 pitches for strikes while delivering his first quality start of 2026. Through four outings (three starts) he's produced a 2.21 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 10:6 K:BB through 20.1 innings, but his hold on a rotation spot is precarious as the organization clearly views the 35-year-old as expendable. He's set to make his next trip to the mound on the road next week against the Nationals, but with Spencer Strider (oblique) having begun a rehab assignment and top prospects Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie both pitching well at Triple-A Gwinnett, any Perez start could be his last for Atlanta.

Helsley walked one and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his sixth save of the season in a 6-4 win over the Guardians.

The right-hander continues to get the job done as the Orioles' closer, and Helsley has converted all six of his save chances to begin the season. Last year's homer issues also have yet to resurface -- after he served up nine long balls over 56 innings in 2025 between the Cardinals and Mets, leading to a 4.50 ERA, Helsley has yet to be taken deep over 8.1 innings in 2026 while producing a 2.16 ERA.