MLB Player News

Suarez (hand) exited Monday's contest against the White Sox in the bottom of the first inning, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.

Suarez was hit in the right hand by a 95.9 mph fastball from Shane Smith in the top of the first inning, momentarily remaining in the game after he looked to be in a great deal of pain. The 33-year-old removed himself from the contest before taking the field on defense in the bottom of the frame. More information on Suarez will likely be provided in the near future, while Ildemaro Vargas replaced him at third base in the meantime.

Bruns (back) was activated from the 60-day injured list June 15.

Bruns has made two starts for High-A Great Lakes since his return from a back injury, allowing two runs on four hits and five walks while striking out six over 5.1 innings. It seems the club is content to bring him along slowly in his first few appearances, as he hasn't worked more than three innings yet.

Amaya (oblique) has started a hitting program, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Amaya began a throwing program June 15, and he has now started to do work from the plate as well. Manager Craig Counsell said Monday that the team is targeting a return for the catcher around the All-Star break. Amaya has been on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique injury since May 24, but he appears to be on the cusp of launching a minor-league rehab assignment.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Monday that Boyd (shoulder) is "all good" for his next scheduled start Wednesday in St. Louis, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Boyd was removed from his most recent outing Friday against the Mariners with a bruised left shoulder after being struck by a comebacker. However, Boyd got through his normal between-starts bullpen session without any hiccups and shouldn't be operating with any restrictions in his upcoming outing against the Cardinals.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Monday that Imanaga (hamstring) will return from the 15-day injured list to start Thursday in St. Louis, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Counsell had already revealed that Imanaga's next start would come in the big leagues, and now the skipper has revealed the exact day. The southpaw has been shelved since early May with a strained left hamstring. Imanaga threw 72 pitches and went 4.1 innings in his final rehab outing with Triple-A Iowa on Friday, so he will have a somewhat restricted workload against the Cardinals.

Wilken will get a second opinion on his left knee after injuring it this past Wednesday with Double-A Biloxi, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports.

Wilken suffered the injury while celebrating Biloxi's first-half championship, per Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The second opinion should provide a clearer idea of the severity of Wilken's injury and a timeline for his return. He is slashing .230/.392/.550 with one steal, 17 doubles, 18 home runs and 41 RBI across 283 plate appearances in Double-A this season.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Monday that the level of concern regarding Carroll's left hand injury is "probably a little higher than it has been over the past couple of days," Casey Drottar of MLB.com reports.

Lovullo and the Diamondbacks are still awaiting results of the MRI on Carroll's bruised left hand, but optimism that the outfielder can avoid the 10-day injured list seems to be waning. The club could have more on Carroll's status after Monday's game against the White Sox. Carroll is out of the lineup for a fifth straight game and hasn't been used off the bench since being hit on the hand by a pitch last Wednesday. However, Lovullo noted before Monday's game that Carroll could be available in "small spurts and small segments," indicating that he may be available to pinch run, per Drottar.

Kelly is starting at catcher and batting sixth in Monday's game against the Cardinals.

After getting a breather Sunday, Kelly will return to the lineup to face lefty starter Matthew Liberatore in St. Louis. Kelly's current backup, Reese McGuire, launched his fourth home run of the year Sunday in only 12 games, while Kelly has been slumping recently. The latter should remain Chicago's top catcher as long as Miguel Amaya (oblique) is sidelined, but McGuire could carve out a larger role in the short term if he stays hot and Kelly continues to struggle.

Busch is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Cardinals.

St. Louis is starting lefty Matthew Liberatore, so Busch will head to the bench while Justin Turner starts at first base in his stead. Busch has been good this season with an .869 OPS, 12 home runs and 44 RBI through 72 games, but he's gone just 4-for-33 with 10 strikeouts against southpaws, so he will likely continue to be a platoon player who plays primarily against righties.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Monday that while the team fully anticipates Sale to pitch again this season, it won't have a timeline until it sees how the pitcher's fractured left ribcage heals, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Sale suffered the ribcage fracture while making a diving play during his start last Wednesday against the Mets and was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday. He will remain with the major-league club on its road trip because the team travels with a machine that Sale will use to help stimulate bone healing. Atlanta should have more on Sale's progress in the coming weeks.