MLB Player News

Tucker went 4-for-7 with a home run, two doubles, four total runs and three total RBI in Monday's 18-3 win over the Athletics.

Tucker and Carson Kelly both had four hits for Chicago on a night when the team exploded for 18 runs. The star outfielder capped the outburst with a 417-foot solo shot in the ninth inning to notch his third straight game with a homer. Tucker has been everything the Cubs could have hoped for when they traded for him last December. Through seven games, Tucker is slashing .323/.400/.742 with three long balls, four doubles, six runs, 10 RBI and a stolen base.

Romano allowed one hit during a scoreless ninth inning in Monday's 6-1 win over the Rockies. He struck out two.

Although it was not a save situation, it's worth noting Romano was warming up when it was a 4-1 game in the eighth inning before Max Kepler and Nick Castellanos both homered to add some insurance runs. Monday was a strong bounce-back performance for Romano, who gave up two runs while blowing a save on Opening Day against the Nationals. The hard-throwing right-hander's usage also suggests he remains first in line in Philadelphia's bullpen at the moment when it comes to save opportunities.

Castellanos went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 6-1 win over the Rockies.

After Philadelphia broke through with a four-run seventh inning, Castellanos went back-to-back with Max Kepler for a couple of solo shots to help tack on some insurance runs in the eighth frame. Through 13 at-bats in the very early stages of the campaign, the veteran slugger is batting .308 with four walks to go with Monday's round-tripper.

Rea earned a save against the Athletics on Monday, pitching three scoreless innings during which he gave up four hits and struck out one batter.

Rea had a 16-3 cushion when he entered in the seventh inning, so he didn't experience much pressure. Still, the veteran righty looked good on the mound, yielding just four singles over four scoreless frames. Rea lost out to Monday's starter Ben Brown for a season-opening spot in Chicago's rotation, and he doesn't figure to see many more save chances since he'll likely work mostly in middle and long relief.

Turner (back) drew a walk and scored a run as a pinch hitter in Monday's 6-1 win over the Rockies.

Turner hit for the left-handed-hitting Brandon Marsh against Rockies southpaw Scott Alexander, and he then crossed the plate for a go-ahead run on an Edmundo Sosa double in the seventh inning. Although Turner's appearance Monday doesn't necessarily guarantee he'll be back in the lineup for Wednesday's meeting with Colorado, the fact he was healthy enough to enter the contest suggests the star shortstop is nearly fully recovered from back spasms that scratched him from the lineup Saturday against Washington. Prior to Monday's matchup, Turner reported improvement and expressed optimism about returning Wednesday.

Brown (1-1) allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five batters over five innings to earn the win over the Athletics on Monday.

Brown wasn't exceptionally sharp in the outing, but he was backed by plenty of run support in the 18-3 Chicago victory. The right-hander threw 45 of 75 pitches for strikes and looked better than he did in his season debut, when he gave up three runs (two earned) over 2.2 frames out of the bullpen and took the loss against the Dodgers in Tokyo, Japan. Brown walked three batters in that brief appearance, so it was a step in the right direction for him to issue two free passes across five innings Monday.

Harris went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Dodgers on Monday.

Atlanta was being shut out until Harris slugged a 424-foot solo homer in the eighth inning off Tanner Scott. The outfielder finished with half of his team's four hits, including Atlanta's only extra-base knock. The performance was a much-needed boost for Harris, as he came into Monday having gone just 1-for-15 with a 0:5 BB:K over his first four games. His fantasy value also looks to be on the upswing in others ways as well -- after batting sixth in the first four games of the season, Harris hit leadoff Monday in Atlanta's first game without Jurickson Profar (suspension), a spot he'll likely continue to occupy against right-handers until Ronald Acuna (knee) is back.

Hernandez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run against Atlanta in a 6-1 victory Monday.

Freddie Freeman missed the game due to an ankle injury, giving Hernandez an opportunity to start at first base. The latter took advantage of the playing time, belting a solo blast to left field in the sixth inning. If Freeman misses additional time, Hernandez could be in line for more starts. He's gone just 2-for-12 at the plate so far this season, but both of his hits have been homers.

Hernandez went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, two additional runs scored and a walk in Monday's 6-1 victory over Atlanta.

Hernandez put the Dodgers on the board in the first inning with a 436-foot, two run blast to center field. He came around to score two additional times in the contest and upped his season slash line to .227/.320/.545 through six games. Hernandez is tied for fourth in the league with eight RBI in the early going of the campaign.

Holmes (0-1) took the loss against the Dodgers on Monday, allowing four runs on four hits and four walks while striking out three batters over four innings.

This was actually Holmes' second outing of the campaign -- he came out of the bullpen for one scoreless frame in Atlanta's Opening Day loss to San Diego. While he was able to toss 89 pitches Monday, that got the right-hander through only four innings. Two of the four batters Holmes walked came around to score, and he yielded a home run and a double among the four hits against him. With Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) landing on the IL, Holmes could be able to stick in the rotation even after Spencer Strider (elbow) is activated this month.