MLB Player News

Imanaga allowed six runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five batters over six-plus innings in a no-decision against the Athletics on Thursday.

Imanaga came into Thursday having lost each of his past four starts, and while that streak ended due to a late Chicago comeback, the lefty hurler didn't exactly bust out of his slump. The A's got to Imanaga for four long balls, including back-to-back homers to begin the seventh inning before the Cubs ace was given the hook. Imanaga has struggled mightily with keeping the ball in the park of late, as he's surrendered 12 home runs across his past four starts spanning 21.2 frames. For context, prior to that four-game stretch, he had served up just five homers across 54.1 innings. It may be difficult for Imanaga to keep the ball in the park in his next outing, as he's lined up for a road tilt in the Denver altitude against the Rockies.

Happ went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, an additional run scored and three total RBI in Thursday's 7-6 win over the Athletics.

Happ delivered his second straight two-hit effort and helped power the Cubs to a win. The veteran is now up 14 home runs and 34 RBI through 59 games, while also scoring 42 runs. Happ has been a consistent fantasy performer for a number of years now, and his ability to regularly get on base and hit for decent power sustains his value. The outfielder also rarely misses time, having played in 150 regular-season games or more the last four year. Happ has played in all but four of Chicago's contests so far this season.

The Dodgers announced Muncy exited Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks with shortness of breath and to potentially rule out a concussion.

Muncy collided with Ildemaro Vargas at first base in the top of the fifth inning after Ryne Nelson failed to cover the bag on a grounder. Both Muncy and Vargas were removed from the game. With the Dodgers' wording, it sounds like Muncy didn't sustain a concussion and can be considered day-to-day ahead of Friday's series opener against the Angels.

Crow-Armstrong went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two total RBI and a stolen base in Thursday's 7-6 win over the Athletics.

Crow-Armstrong batted leadoff and showed off some of the dual-threat potential that made him a breakout player in 2025. The talented young outfielder has homered in consecutive contests and has three long balls during his current nine-game hitting streak. Overall, he's now up to nine homers and 13 stolen bases this year. After a slow start to the season, it seems like Crow-Armstrong is beginning to heat up.

Vargas was removed from Thursday's game against the Dodgers in the fifth inning after colliding with Max Muncy at first base, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.

Muncy legged out an infield single in the top of the fifth, but he and Vargas violently collided at the bag. Both players spent several minutes on the ground before each was helped off the field. Pavin Smith has replaced Vargas at first base. Vargas went 0-for-2 at the plate before the injury.

Muncy was removed from Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks in the fifth inning after colliding with Ildemaro Vargas at first base, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.

Muncy legged out an infield single, but he and Vargas had a violent collision at first base. Both players were helped off the field and removed from the contest. Prior to leaving, Muncy was 1-for-2 at the plate. Santiago Espinal pinch ran for the injured third baseman.

Cabrera (finger) is listed as the probable starter for Friday's game against the Giants.

Cabrera is eligible to come off the injured list Friday and was initially expected to start Saturday afternoon's game against San Francisco. However, it appears the Cubs are pushing him up a day and moving Ben Brown back to Saturday to give him six days rest. Cabrera developed a blister after allowing four runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts across three innings May 20 against the Brewers. On the season, the right-hander owns a 4.00 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and disappointing 47:20 K:BB across 54 innings. Cabrera has a career-low 20.7 percent strikeout rate, and he has lost some zip on his fastball, averaging just 95.7 mph with the pitch after coming in at 97 mph with Miami in 2025.

Manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that Ohtani is dealing with a "small" blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand, but it's a "non-issue" for his pitching starts moving forward, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani was seen messing with the finger during Wednesday's start against Arizona, where he continued his dominance on the mound with six shutout innings to pick up his sixth win. He's out of the lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks, but it's a routine day off after making the start the night before. Ohtani is expected to be fine for his next start on the road against the Pirates next week and should be back in the lineup at DH versus the Angels on Friday.

Manager Torey Lovullo revealed that Clarke is expected to return from the bereavement list Sunday versus the Nationals, Jose M. Romero of The Arizona Republic reports.

With the right-hander returning Sunday, he will have spent the minimum three games on the bereavement list. Kade Strowd or Philip Abner are likely candidates to be sent down to make room for Clarke since they both joined the big club Thursday.

Chourio went 3-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI, four runs scored and a walk in Thursday's 12-9 loss to the Giants.

It was a banner performance by Chourio, who recorded the third multi-homer game of his career and his first of the year. The four RBI were also a season high in what was the star outfielder's second effort of the campaign with at least three knocks. Chourio has been a five-category fantasy producer when healthy in 2026, batting .308 with four long balls, 16 RBI, five stolen bases and 19 runs scored over 107 at-bats.