MLB Player News

McGuire went 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI in Sunday's 11-0 win over the Cardinals

McGuire picked up a start in place of Carson Kelly in the series finale, and the former delivered his first multi-hit performance since June 10. While McGuire is batting just .237 with a .262 on-base percentage, he has provided some degree of fantasy utility by tallying five home runs, 10 RBI and 10 runs scored in only 18 games so far this season, though his ceiling is certainly limited due to his backup role. The veteran catcher is best viewed as a DFS dart throw on days when he's in the lineup.

Wicks tossed 3.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn a hold in Sunday's 11-0 win over the Cardinals. He allowed three hits and struck out two.

The Cubs jumped out to a big lead early in the contest, so starter Matthew Boyd was pulled after only five innings and 87 pitches. That opened the door for Wicks, who was effective in the middle part of the game to record his first hold of the season. The lefty had just been recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Friday, and this was his first appearance in the majors since April 20. Wicks worked as a starter for the Cubs each of the last two years as well as this season in the minors, but it appears he may settle into a long relief role for the time being.

Ashcraft walked one and struck out two over a scoreless inning in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Phillies.

Ashcraft, fresh off the injured list Friday, had a pair of scoreless outings over the weekend. Both appearances were in the seventh inning, as Ashcraft maintains a late-game role out of the Cincinnati bullpen. He has a 3.96 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP with 41 strikeouts and 15 walks across 36.1 innings.

Hays went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 3-1 loss to Philadelphia.

Only Hays could solve Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler, who allowed just the one hit and did not walk a batter. Hays is batting .206 (7-for-34) over nine games since coming off the injured list June 27, but it's been an impactful .206 with three doubles, one triple, two home runs and six RBI.

Jarvis allowed three hits and two walks while striking out two over four scoreless relief innings in Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Royals.

Jarvis was summoned from Triple-A Reno when the Diamondbacks placed Ryan Thompson (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list Sunday. The former was a starter for the Aces and should get similar long relief opportunities going forward while up with the club.

Grichuk started at designated hitter and went 1-for-3 with a double in Sunday's 4-0 loss to Kansas City.

Grichuk typically starts against left-handers but was used against a righty (Michael Lorenzen) in the series finale between the two teams. Arizona's usual DH against righties, Pavin Smith, was placed on the 10-day injured list with an oblique injury. Grichuk could get additional opportunities while Smith is unavailable, but manager Torey Lovullo likes to exploit lefty-righty matchups whenever possible. That means one of the three lefty-hitting outfielders could see time at DH against righties.

Fitzgerald went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Athletics.

Fitzgerald gave the Giants a little more breathing room with his eighth-inning homer. He's gone just 4-for-20 (.200) over six games since he was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento, though he has two doubles and a homer in that span. Overall, he's at a .227/.287/.333 slash line with three homers, 13 RBI, 18 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 10 doubles and one triple over 63 games. Fitzgerald is still seeing a starting role at second base, but with Matt Chapman back from the injured list, Brett Wisely could be in contention for more time at second base until Casey Schmitt (hand) is ready to return as well.

Adames went 1-for-3 with a home run, two walks and three RBI in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Athletics.

Adames twice drew bases-loaded walks to force in runs. He also had a solo shot in the fourth inning to extend his hitting streak to seven games. During that span, he's gone 11-for-26 (.423) with four extra-base hits, nine RBI and four walks. The shortstop's up to a .226/.313/.370 slash line with 11 homers, 45 RBI, 50 runs scored and four stolen bases through 90 contests this season.

Birdsong (4-3) allowed one run on three hits and five walks while striking out six over five innings to earn the win Sunday over the Athletics.

Birdsong continues to have trouble with walks, but the Athletics weren't able to punish him for it. This ended a stretch of five starts without a win for the right-hander -- a span in which he had a 7.54 ERA over 22.2 innings. He's at a 4.11 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 68:33 K:BB across 65.2 innings through 20 appearances (nine starts) this season. Birdsong is tentatively projected to make his next start at home versus the Dodgers, who figure to be much more capable of capitalizing if his command is lacking.

Tatis went 2-for-3 with an RBI double, two walks, one stolen base and one run scored in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Rangers.

Tatis set the table well from the leadoff spot, where he's been for all five games in July after a brief drop to the cleanup spot in late June. He's gone 6-for-19 (.316) to begin this month, adding two stolen bases and five walks, which is a positive sign that he's shaking off the slump that he went through in the second half of June. Overall, Tatis is at a .261/.355/.444 slash line with 15 home runs, 19 steals, 39 RBI, 62 runs scored, 12 doubles and two triples across 87 contests.