MLB Player News

Grichuk (lower body) will start at designated hitter and bat third in Wednesday's game versus the Rockies.

Grichuk had to be scratched from the Diamondbacks' lineup Sunday due to lower-body tightness, but he's been available off the bench the last two days and is starting Wednesday's game as the Rockies send southpaw Austin Gomber to the bump. The righty-hitting Grichuk is slashing .305/.370/.494 against lefties this season.

Jones went 0-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.

Jones has had a miserable September, tallying only five hits across 31 at-bats paired with a 34.2 percent strikeout rate. He also hasn't homered since June 29, leading to a .095 ISO on the campaign. Jones is still getting regular at-bats against righties for the time being, though Sam Hilliard has been far more productive of late.

Rea is not listed among the Brewers' probable starters for their upcoming series versus the Diamondbacks and could be shifted to a relief role ahead of the postseason, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Rea's last start came Sept. 11, when he was blasted for 10 runs over four innings in a loss to the Giants. He then threw 2.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen to pick up a save in Monday's win over the Phillies. The Brewers don't currently have a starter listed for Friday, and it's possible Rea will wind up taking the ball that day on three days' rest. Even if he gets another start or two down the stretch, Rea looks on track to fill a relief role during the postseason. He's posted a 6.82 ERA over his last seven appearances (six starts).

Wicks (2-4) took the loss Tuesday, giving up four runs on seven hits -- including three home runs -- and two walks over five innings as the Cubs fell 4-3 to the A's. He struck out four.

The southpaw got taken deep by Shea Langeliers in the first and fifth innings, with a Lawrence Butler third-inning solo shot sandwiched in between. Wicks has served up a brutal seven homers over his last two starts, but with the Cubs' playoff hopes on life support, the team has little reason to remove the 25-year-old from the rotation despite his 5.48 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 42:20 K:BB through 46 innings on the season.

Acuna went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, two RBI and two additional runs in Tuesday's 10-1 win over the Nationals.

Though Jose Iglesias assumed leadoff duties for the second game in a row while the Mets' usual table setter, Francisco Lindor (back), was on the bench, Acuna stepped in at Lindor's usual spot at shortstop. The rookie made the most of his second career start, providing a spark at the bottom of the order and matching Iglesias' output with three hits. After an MRI revealed no structural damage to his back, Lindor said that he anticipates returning to the lineup later this week, so Acuna may not have many more chances to build on Tuesday's excellent performance.

Montas (7-11) took the loss Tuesday as the Brewers were downed 5-1 by the Phillies, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out 10.

All the runs came on homers, as Nick Castellanos launched a solo shot in the second inning before Bryce Harper helped chase Montas from the game with a two-run shot in the sixth. It was the first time since the right-hander joined Milwaukee at the trade deadline that he'd served up multiple long balls, but on the bright side he's struck out double-digit batters twice in his last three outings. Over nine starts for the Brewers, Montas sports a 3.55 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 60:20 K:BB in 50.2 innings. He's scheduled to make his next start at home this weekend against the Diamondbacks, but with the Brewers on the verge of clinching the NL Central title, the team could shuffle its rotation over the final days of the regular season to set up its postseason rotation and give pitchers like Montas some extra rest.

Harper went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Brewers.

He took Frankie Montas deep in the sixth inning to break open a 1-1 tie, putting Harper one long ball short of his fifth career 30-homer campaign. The veteran slugger has been heating up with the playoffs looming, and over the last 11 games Harper is slashing .386/.426/.727 with six doubles, three homers, seven runs and eight RBI.

Wheeler (16-6) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings in a 5-1 victory over the Brewers. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The right-hander bolstered his Cy Young case with his fourth straight win and ninth straight quality start, helping the Phillies close in on an NL East title. Wheeler has a dazzling 1.71 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 66:9 K:BB through 58 innings since the beginning of August, and he leads the NL in WHIP on the season (0.95) while sitting second to Atlanta's Chris Sale in ERA (2.56, versus Sale's 2.35). Wheeler will look to keep dealing in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road this weekend against the Mets.

King did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's loss to the Astros, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out seven in seven innings.

The Astros got to King with four hits and a pair of runs in the fourth but were otherwise held in check. King reached seven innings for the first time since July 21 and has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his last seven starts. For the year, King owns a 3.04 ERA, which ranks eighth among qualifiers and fourth in the National League. He'll look to continue rolling in a crucial matchup against the Dodgers next week.

Tatis went 2-for-5 with a double, a steal and two runs scored in Tuesday's loss to the Astros.

Tatis scored the team's first run of the game on a two-run homer from Manny Machado in the sixth. Tatis has now hit safely in seven straight games with four homers, eight RBI and eight runs scored over that span. His sixth-inning steal brought him up to double digits for the fifth straight season since he broke in to Major League Baseball. For the year, he's slashing .283/.348/.485 with 18 homers, 45 RBI, 61 runs and a 30:83 BB:K in 399 plate appearances.