MLB Player News

Ozuna went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's loss to the Royals.

The veteran DH has started three of the last four games as he gets showcased for a potential trade, and Ozuna has done his part to boost his value by going yard in back-to-back contests. Four of his 15 homers on the season have come in July, but he only has eight total hits on the month, batting .167 (8-for-48) over 17 games.

Happ (shin) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Milwaukee, but the Cubs don't anticipate him requiring a stint on the 10-day injured list, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Happ was lifted from Tuesday's loss after fouling a ball off his left shin. While he'll take a seat for the series finale in Milwaukee, Happ could be ready to play Friday against the Orioles after Thursday's team off day. Seiya Suzuki will start in left field Wednesday and Moises Ballesteros will get a start at designated hitter.

Waldrep threw seven scoreless innings for Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out eight.

There had been speculation the 23-year-old right-hander might get called up this week to bolster Atlanta's injury-ravaged rotation, but Waldrep instead remained at Gwinnett and delivered arguably his best performance of the season. He's given up two runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts, posting a 1.99 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 36:16 K:BB over 40.2 innings during that stretch. With Atlanta out of the playoff picture and expected to be sellers at the trade deadline, the team could still promote Waldrep at some point over the final weeks of the campaign to help him get his feet wet in the majors ahead of competing for a rotation spot next spring.

The Cubs activated Hodge (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Iowa, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Hodge is over the shoulder issue that sent him to the IL earlier this month, but the Cubs have decided to keep him at Iowa, where he had been on a rehab assignment. The hard-throwing righty should get another chance with the big club later this season.

The Cubs recalled Ballesteros from Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Ballesteros went 3-for-16 at the plate in an earlier stint with the Cubs and has slashed .332/.393/.496 with nine home runs this season with Iowa. The Cubs don't have a clear opening in the everyday lineup for the 21-year-old at the moment, though he could serve as the team's primary designated hitter in the short term while Ian Happ is day-to-day with a shin injury. Ballesteros will start at DH and bat seventh in Wednesday's series finale with the Brewers.

The Cubs designated Brujan for assignment Wednesday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Brujan never found his niche with the Cubs, slashing only .222/.234/.289 in 36 games while playing sparingly. His versatility could make him an interesting waiver pickup for other teams, but a career .192/.259/.271 batting line over parts of five seasons in the majors suggests that expectations should be low.

Rogers (4-3) took the loss in Tuesday's 3-1 defeat to the Pirates, allowing two earned runs on four hits while striking out one over one inning.

Rogers entered with the game tied in the eighth inning and gave up four singles that led to a two-run deficit. The right-hander threw 12 of his 16 pitches for strikes. The 34-year-old allowed his first run since June 30 and now owns a 1.80 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 38:4 K:BB across 50 innings in 53 appearances this season.

Miller (elbow) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session at Oracle Park on Tuesday, per MLB.com.

Miller ramped up his intensity after throwing a 20-pitch bullpen session Saturday. The left-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list July 5 due to a sprained left elbow. He's on track to return in the second or third week of August and is expected to require at least two tune-up games before rejoining the big-league club, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Realmuto is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the White Sox.

Realmuto will get a breather in Wednesday's matinee after starting each of the previous eight contests. Rafael Marchan will fill in behind the plate and will bat ninth for the Phillies.

Roupp (elbow) threw 35 pitches off flat ground Tuesday and is expected to continue pitching at the Giants' complex in Arizona while the team is on its six-game road trip, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Roupp was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday, retroactive to Wednesday, due to right elbow inflammation. The right-hander will continue ramping up and is expected to return shortly after he's first eligible Aug. 6. Roupp may go on a rehab assignment before rejoining the Giants during their next homestand, per Rubin.