MLB Player News

Imanaga (hamstring) will throw a bullpen session early this week before making the third start of his rehab assignment at Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Assuming he can make it out of Friday's outing without issue, Imanaga should be cleared to return from the 15-day injured list to make his next start with the Cubs either on June 25 or 26 in St. Louis. The right-hander made both of his first two rehab starts in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League, most recently pitching Saturday and striking out four over four shutout innings. According to Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network, Imanaga threw 44 pitches in that start and tossed 11 more in the bullpen immediately after exiting the game, so he'll presumably be looking to push his pitch count up into the 60-to-75 range Friday.

Busch went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Sunday's 3-2, 10-inning win over the Pirates.

Busch continued his steady, impressive season, as he's now batting .295 this month and .265 for the year. The infielder also has a solid .861 OPS, and he's been a mainstay near the middle of Chicago's lineup. Busch remains vulnerable against left-handed pitching, but he has plenty of fantasy value as a dangerous run producer against righties.

Flexen (4-0) tossed a scoreless inning of relief to earn the win in Sunday's 3-2, 10-inning win over the Pirates.

Flexen worked the top of the 10th inning and kept Pittsburgh off the board despite having to deal with the automatic runner on second base. He then earned his fourth win of the year when the Cubs scored the winning run in the bottom half of the frame. Flexen extended his scoreless streak to 11 appearances and 18.1 innings to begin the season, as he's been a revelation in long relief for the Cubs. His role limits his fantasy impact, though Flexen has some appeal in deeper formats due to his sparkling ERA and WHIP, as well as his 4-0 record.

Wheeler (7-2) struck out nine and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and no walks en route to claiming a win Sunday in the Phillies' 11-4 victory over the Blue Jays.

Matt Gelb of The Athletic broke some news on Wheeler earlier in the weekend, publishing a feature article in which the right-hander confirmed that he intends to retire when his three-year, $126 million contract extension expires at the end of the 2027 season. While the report may have some minor implications on Wheeler's outlook in dynasty formats, the 35-year-old's value in redraft leagues is unaffected. Wheeler has maintained his status as one of baseball's top aces thus far in 2025, with his sterling ratios, strong health in recent seasons and excellent team context having made him a reliable frontline pitcher for fantasy managers who selected him on draft day. He navigated a tough two-start week with aplomb, limiting potent Cubs and Blue Jays offenses to a combined three runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out 16 batters over 12 innings.

Suarez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 8-2 loss to the Padres.

Suarez broke up Nick Pivetta's no-hit bid in the fifth inning, just one at-bat after Josh Naylor walked to give the Diamondbacks their first baserunner of the game. This was Suarez's fifth homer in his last eight games, a span in which he has gone 8-for-30 (.267) with 11 RBI and 11 strikeouts. The third baseman is batting .233 with an .834 OPS, 21 homers, 57 RBI, 43 runs scored, 13 doubles and one stolen base over 71 games. He remains a productive power bat in the heart of the Arizona lineup.

Hjelle will draw the start Sunday night against the Dodgers, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Hjelle will take the mound in place of expected starter Kyle Harrison, who was traded to the Red Sox in a deal that brought perennial All-Star infielder Rafael Devers to San Francisco. Hjelle has posted a 4.50 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with one strikeout over four innings in three appearances out of the bullpen this season, and he likely won't remain in the game long enough to potentially qualify for a win.

Kelly (6-3) took the loss Sunday versus the Padres, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out seven over five innings.

Kelly started fine, but he gave up three runs, including a two-run home run to Jake Cronenworth in the fourth inning. Kelly has logged at least six strikeouts in eight straight starts, but this is the third time in that span he's given up four or more runs. The right-hander has a 3.41 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 86:22 K:BB through 87 innings over 15 starts this season. His next outing is projected to be in Colorado. His previous start against the Rockies came at home, when he tossed seven innings of one-hit ball and struck out 11 on May 18, though going into Coors Field always carries at least a little danger for pitchers.

Tatis went 4-for-5 with two doubles, one RBI, one stolen base and three runs scored in Sunday's 8-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Tatis tormented Arizona pitching this weekend, going 8-for-13 with three doubles and three RBI over the three-game series. The outfielder also continues to have a green light on the basepaths -- he's logged 15 steals this season, with seven of those thefts coming over his last 16 contests. Tatis is up to a .277/.356/.473 slash line with 13 home runs, 31 RBI, 11 doubles, one triple and 52 runs scored through 68 games. He looks to have put his quieter stretches from late May and early June behind him.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two total runs scored in Sunday's 8-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Diaz had gone 0-for-8 with three walks and five strikeouts over his previous four games. The catcher was able to do some damage Sunday, stretching the Padres' lead to 7-2 with a ninth-inning homer, his first long ball since May 4 versus the Pirates. Diaz is now at a .219/.292/.336 slash line with four homers, five doubles, 10 RBI, 20 runs scored and no stolen bases over 162 plate appearances. He has been in a fairly even timeshare with Martin Maldonado since the start of June, as neither backstop is doing much consistently with the bat, though Maldonado has the slight edge in playing time over the last week.

Cronenworth went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 8-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Cronenworth is enjoying a steady but unremarkable June -- he's hit safely in five straight games and in 10 of 14 contests for the month. However, his fourth-inning homer Sunday was his first extra-base hit since a May 28 double versus the Marlins, and he also picked up his first RBI since June 3 against the Giants. The infielder is now at a .241/.367/.400 slash line with five homers, 17 RBI, 21 runs scored and one stolen base across 46 games this season. Hitting consistently is half the battle, but Cronenworth's fantasy stock will remain fairly low if he can't get more involved in run production.