MLB Player News

The Cubs traded Cruz to the Nationals on Wednesday alongside Christian Franklin in exchange for Michael Soroka, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Cruz has yet to make it past rookie ball since being drafted 90th overall last year. The 18-year-old infielder is slashing .271/.314/.429 through 191 plate appearances in the Arizona Complex League and will aim to join the Nationals' Single-A affiliate before the end of the season.

Steer went 2-for-3 with a triple, two RBI, a walk and a run scored in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Dodgers.

Steer tallied his second triple of the season and the ninth of his career. It's been an uneven campaign at the plate for Steer -- he has a .692 OPS in 2025 -- but he's at least fared a bit better since the beginning of June. Across his last 182 plate appearances, the first baseman is slashing .263/.319/.449 with 15 extra-base hits, 26 RBI, 20 runs scored and three stolen bases.

The Cubs traded Franklin to the Nationals on Wednesday alongside Ronny Cruz in exchange for Michael Soroka, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Franklin has spent the entire season with the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate, slashing .257/.383/.415 with eight homers, 40 RBI, 60 runs scored and 11 steals through 86 games. The 25-year-old will likely report to Triple-A Rochester upon joining the Nationals organization and could be a candidate to join the big club once rosters expand in September.

Santillan picked up the save in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Dodgers, striking out one in a clean ninth inning.

Closer Emilio Pagan likely wasn't available after working four of the past five days for the Reds, which created the opportunity for Santillan to nab his third save of the season. Santillan owns a 1.96 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 28:8 K:BB over 23 innings since the start of June, and he remains firmly in the high-leverage mix with 22 holds on the year.

The Nationals traded Soroka to the Cubs on Wednesday in exchange for outfielder Christian Franklin and infielder Ronny Cruz, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Soroka hasn't found much success this season as a part of the Nationals' rotation, as he sports a 4.87 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 81.1 innings (16 starts), though his 4.11 FIP indicates he's fallen victim to a bit of bad luck. The 27-year-old righty will likely bolster the back end of the Cubs' rotation as they make their push for the postseason. Otherwise, Chicago may move him back into the bullpen to work as a long reliever.

Machado went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 5-0 win over the Mets.

Machado opened the scoring with a two-run single in the second inning and followed it up by swiping his 10th bag of the year. The 33-year-old has been red hot during an eight-game hitting streak, piling up seven multi-hit efforts, six extra-base hits, 11 RBI, four runs and two stolen bases. For the year, he's slashing .302/.362/.510 with 20 home runs, 71 RBI, 64 runs scored and the aforementioned 10 steals across 467 plate appearances.

Ohtani was removed from his start as a pitcher in Wednesday's game versus Cincinnati due to lower-body cramps, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports. He was able to remain in the contest as the Dodgers' designated hitter.

The Dodgers took Ohtani off the mound after he demonstrated some command issues during the fourth inning of Wednesday's contest, but his removal had nothing to do with his arm. He was also able to stay in the game as the Dodgers' DH despite battling cramps, so the two-way player doesn't seem to be at risk of missing time. Ohtani covered three innings Wednesday and allowed two earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four batters.

Sheets went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run, a walk and a stolen base in Wednesday's 5-0 win over the Mets.

Sheets doubled the Padres' lead with a two-run homer in the third inning and added a rare stolen base after drawing a walk in the fifth. It was a much-needed spark for the 29-year-old, who entered the game stuck in a 4-for-38 slump without an extra-base hit over 10 games since the All-Star break. On the season, he's slashing .249/.312/.423 with 15 home runs, 54 RBI, 39 runs scored and two steals across 394 plate appearances.

Holmes (9-6) took the loss against the Padres on Wednesday, allowing four runs (two earned) on eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 3.2 innings.

Holmes was tagged for four runs across the second and third innings, including a two-run homer by Gavin Sheets following a two-out error. It marked the 32-year-old right-hander's shortest outing of the season, and he hasn't gone deep enough for a quality start since June 7. Holmes owns a 3.45 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 91:46 K:BB across 117.1 innings and will try to get back on track in a home matchup with the Guardians early next week.

Freeland (2-11) took the loss Wednesday against the Guardians, allowing two runs on three hits and no walks in three innings. He didn't record a strikeout.

Freeland was pitching through an illness Wednesday, per Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com, which likely played a part in interim manager Warren Schaeffer's decision to pull the hurler after he threw just 40 pitches. The left-hander yielded a pair of runs in the first inning, but he managed to settle in to toss two clean frames thereafter. Freeland owns a 5.26 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 74:26 K:BB over 104.1 innings, and he doesn't shape up as a recommended fantasy option at home versus the first-place Blue Jays next week.