MLB Player News

Contreras won't require surgery on his fractured right middle finger, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Contreras will be considered no impact for the next three weeks, but if all goes well, he'll be cleared to start a progression at that time. It's unclear how long he would need to ramp back up, but he'd need to do so quickly to have a chance to return for the final week or two of the regular season.

Crow-Armstrong went 3-for-5 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored in Monday's 18-8 win over the Pirates. He also stole three bases.

Crow-Armstrong is now up to 26 stolen bases this season, which is one ahead of Nico Hoerner for the team lead despite playing in 30 fewer games than Hoerner. The young outfielder is showing off his full skill set lately, as he's batting .306 over his last 15 games with four home runs and four steals. Crow-Armstrong has a nice mix of power and speed in his profile, and if he can continue to make consistent contact, he could really take off as a fantasy asset.

Swanson went 1-for-3 with a walk, a grand slam and an additional run scored in Monday's 18-8 win over the Pirates.

Swanson's grand slam in the sixth inning was part of an eight-run frame for the Cubs as the team broke things open. The shortstop is now up to 11 long balls this season, including two in his last seven contests. Swanson hit at least 20 homers in each of the last three years, so he'll need to really heat up down the stretch to reach that plateau once again.

Paredes went 2-for-5 with a walk, a home run, two additional runs scored and two total RBI in Monday's 18-8 win over the Pirates.

Paredes helped pile on to the rout, launching his 19th home run of the season in the eighth inning. The 25-year-old has recorded three of those long balls in 24 games for the Cubs since coming over in a late July trade, and he's batting .161 for his new team. That's not exactly what fantasy managers had in mind, but Paredes should continue to see regular playing time, and he has the talent to turn things around in a hurry.

Suzuki went 4-for-6 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored in Monday's 18-8 win over the Pirates.

Suzuki was one of two Chicago players with four hits, joining Miguel Amaya, as the Cubs had 21 hits overall. Suzuki has been locked in lately with a .341 batting average and five extra-base hits over his last 10 games. The outfielder is a steady producer who should continue to excel from a prominent spot in Chicago's lineup.

Happ went 2-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases in Monday's 18-8 win over the Pirates.

Happ somehow managed not to score despite serving as the leadoff man and reaching three times in the offensive explosion. Despite the lack of counting stats, it was still a productive night for the outfielder, as he reached 11 stolen bases on the season. Happ's career high in steals is 14, which he posted last year, and he may be able to surpass that figure yet in 2024.

Amaya went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored and four RBI in Monday's 18-8 win over the Pirates.

Amaya has been on fire lately, and he kept rolling Monday. The catcher went 0-for-1 off the bench Sunday, but otherwise he's gone 12-for-17 over his last five games with five extra-base hits. Amaya had yet to really take off at the MLB level before this stretch of games, though the 25-year-old could be turning a corner. While he's unlikely to stay this hot, Amaya could be poised for a big finish as Chicago's top option behind the plate.

The Cubs placed Smyly on outright waivers Monday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Smyly will now be available to be claimed off waivers by the 29 other teams in the league after producing a 2.84 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 43 strikeouts over 50.2 innings in 39 appearances out of the bullpen with Chicago. The left-hander will likely have no shortage of teams interested in him and a postseason contender could use his services to bolster their bullpen down the stretch.

Brujan will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Rockies.

Brujan will pick up a third consecutive start at shortstop in place of Xavier Edwards (back), who was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday. The Marlins opted to call up an extra outfielder (Griffin Conine) from Triple-A Jacksonville rather than an infielder to replace Edwards on the active roster, so Brujan looks like he could have a clear path to a full-time role while Edwards is on the shelf. Brujan flashed an interesting blend of power and speed during his time in the minors, but he's produced an underwhelming .638 OPS over 259 plate appearances with Miami this season and hasn't been efficient on the basepaths (five stolen bases in 10 attempts) either.

Tovar is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Marlins.

Aaron Schunk will handle shortstop duties for the Rockies while Tovar retreats to the bench after starting each of the past six games. Tovar recorded three doubles during the Rockies' series with the Yankees over the weekend, but he's largely floundered at the plate in August, slashing just .178/.204/.278 with a 34 percent strikeout rate and limited counting stats (one home run, no stolen bases, 11 runs, three RBI) through 21 games this month.