MLB Player News

Collins is starting at designated hitter and batting third in Wednesday's game versus the Royals.

It's the first start this season for Collins, who is 3-for-6 off the bench. He and his teammates face a tall task in going up against left-hander Cole Ragans in the series finale.

Yelich is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.

Yelich cranked his first home run of the season Tuesday, but he will receive his first day off for Wednesday's afternoon contest. Isaac Collins is at designated hitter and batting third for Milwaukee.

Tucker went 2-for-3 with two walks, a double, a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the A's.

The 28-year-old slugger took Luis Severino deep in the third inning, giving Tucker a homer in four straight games. He's had a blistering start to his Cubs tenure, batting .353 (12-for-34) through eight contests with five doubles, four homers, nine runs and 11 RBI, and those free passes figure to get more frequent if teams decide it's not worth the risk of pitching to him while he's locked in.

Pressly gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his second save of the season in a 7-4 win over the A's.

The veteran right-hander has appeared in four of the Cubs' first eight games and hasn't exactly been dominant, posting a 6.75 ERA and 1:4 K:BB in four innings, but he's 2-for-2 in converting save chances. Pressly should remain Chicago's closer as long as he's getting the job done, but if his struggles continue and begin to turn into blown saves, Porter Hodge -- who picked up his third hold Tuesday and has yet to give up a run in four innings with a 5:3 K:BB -- is ready to step in.

Burleson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels.

Through the first six games of the season, the Cardinals have faced left-handed starting pitchers two times, and the lefty-hitting Burleson has checked out of the lineup on both occasions. The right-handed-hitting Luken Baker will replace Burleson as the Cardinals' designated hitter Wednesday while southpaw Yusei Kikuchi takes the hill for the Angels.

Steele (2-1) collected the win Tuesday in a 7-4 victory over the A's, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk over 6.2 innings. He struck out six.

The southpaw served up two-run homers to Brent Rooker in the first inning and Shea Langeliers in the third, but the Cubs' offense bailed him out with a couple long balls of its own. Steele has been taken deep five times in his first three starts of 2025, a somewhat worrying trend for a pitcher who's never had serious issues keeping the ball in the park before -- over the prior three seasons, he never posted a HR/9 rate north of 0.80 -- but the sample size is still small. Steele will look for his third straight win in his next outing, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Rangers.

Encarnacion-Strand (hand) will start at first base and bat sixth in Wednesday's contest versus the Rangers.

Encarnacion-Strand didn't play Tuesday after leaving Monday's game following a hit-by-pitch on the right hand, but it will be just a one-game absence for the infielder. The 25-year-old is 4-for-14 with one home run in the early going this season.

King (1-0) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing two hits and a walk over five scoreless innings in a 7-0 rout of the Guardians. He struck out 11.

The Padres' pitching staff continues to roll, racking up its third shutout in the last four games, and King's performance was maybe the best one yet from the team's rotation. The right-hander generated 18 swinging strikes among his 88 pitches (56 total strikes) and didn't let a runner get past second base. King sports a 14:5 K:BB through his first 7.2 innings of 2025, and he'll look to remain dominant in his next start, which lines up to come on the road early next week against the A's.

Merrill and the Padres agreed Wednesday on a nine-year, $135 million contract extension, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Per Murray, the nine-year deal can max out at $165 million if Merrill reaches 500 plate appearances in every season of the contract and also includes a $30 million club option for the 2035 season that can be converted to a player option. The 21-year-old Merrill was rewarded with the lavish deal after earning an All-Star nod and Silver Slugger Award while finishing second in the National League Rookie of the Year Award balloting in 2024, when he slashed .292/.326/.500 with 24 home runs, 16 stolen bases, 90 RBI and 77 runs in 593 plate appearances. He's gotten off to a strong start through the Padres' first six games of 2025, going 8-for-20 with a home run and a 2:3 BB:K.

Dunn started in left field and went 0-for-3 in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to Texas.

Dunn made his second start of the season -- the previous one was in center field. Cincinnati manager Terry Francona shuffled the lineup to account for injuries and rest days, resulting in the start for Dunn, who is normally a fourth or fifth outfielder. He's 1-for-7 with two strikeouts so far this season.