MLB Player News

Brown is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Brewers at American Family Field.

Brown made his fifth start of the season and his first since May 2 in his last appearance Thursday versus Atlanta, striking out six over four scoreless innings while working around one hit and two walks. Because he had been working out of the bullpen over the preceding three weeks and took the mound versus Atlanta on three days' rest, Brown had his workload monitored carefully, as he was pulled after 66 pitches despite mowing down the opposing lineup. Brown should be able to provide the Cubs with more length when he takes the hill Tuesday, but his run in the Chicago rotation may not last much longer, with Jordan Wicks (forearm) nearing a return from the 15-day injured list.

Jones (undisclosed) began a rehab assignment with the Rockies' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate Monday, going 0-for-2 with a walk, a run and an RBI while playing five innings at shortstop.

Jones has been on Triple-A Albuquerque's 7-day injured list for more than a month with an unspecified injury, but he looks to be closing in on a return. The 26-year-old hit .250 with a home run and 12 stolen bases in 17 games for Albuquerque prior to being deactivated.

Winker went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Monday's win over Atlanta.

After being held out of Sunday's starting nine due to mild cramping in his quadriceps, Winker looked fully healthy Monday as he stole his seventh bag of the year. The 30-year-old was mired in a slump through the first half of May, but he appears to be heating up again -- over his last nine games, he's batting .296 (8-for-27) with a double, two homers, three steals, five RBI and six runs.

Abrams went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Monday's win over Atlanta.

The shortstop launched a solo shot off Charlie Morton in the second inning, giving the Nationals an early 5-0 lead. Abrams has gone yard in back-to-back contests to snap a 22-game power drought, but he hasn't crawled out of his May swoon quite yet -- he hasn't stolen a base in 19 straight games, and he's slashing just .221/.237/.338 over that stretch with a 1:18 BB:K.

Alvarez (thumb) was reaching exit velocities over 100 miles per hour during batting practice over the weekend, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The 22-year-old catcher is still wearing a splint on his surgically repaired thumb, however, and the Mets aren't going to rush him back from the 10-day injured list. The team may also use his recovery period to have him work on his positioning behind the plate, as Alvarez has a tendency to be overeager reaching for pitches and is susceptible to getting his glove hand smacked by a swing. Alvarez was batting .236 (13-for-55) with one home run and eight RBI through 16 games when he was injured in mid-April.

Senga (shoulder) may not be ready to return from the 60-day injured list until after the All-Star break, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander has had a couple delays and setbacks during his recovery from a posterior right capsule strain. After getting a cortisone injection late last week, Senga played catch on flat ground for the first time Tuesday, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Still, the 31-year-old is essentially back to square one with his throwing program. Given that Senga will likely need about six weeks to ramp back up and get game ready, a mid-July return would seem to be the best-case scenario. Manager Carlos Mendoza acknowledged Monday that it's difficult to put a timeline on Senga's return from the IL.

Acuna is slashing .303/.344/.371 over his last 20 games for Triple-A Syracuse with eight steals in 10 attempts and a 13.5 percent strikeout rate.

The 22-year-old had a rough start to his season and headed into May with a .224/.276/.367 line and a 21.0 percent K rate, but Acuna has found a groove over the last few weeks. Per Will Sammon of The Athletic, he's worked on shortening his swing and reducing his leg kick, and the tweaks seem to be paying dividends. Should the 22-30 Mets become sellers this summer and ship out veterans like Starling Marte and Jeff McNeil, it could open up a spot in the majors for Acuna.

Montero went 1-for-3 with two RBI, a run scored and a walk in Monday's 8-6 win over the Guardians.

Montero had been limited to a short-side platoon role since the return of Kris Bryant from the injured list, but he's started both of Colorado's games since Jordan Beck (hand) landed on the shelf. Beck's absence allows the Rockies to play Charlie Blackmon in right field and shift Kris Bryant to designated hitter, opening first base for Montero. However, Jake Cave and Hunter Goodman also remain options for the Rockies in right field, so consistent plate appearances are far from assured for Montero.

Puk (0-6) took the loss Monday against the Padres, giving up an unearned run on one hit over two-thirds of an inning.

Entering a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the seventh, Puk appeared to have gotten out of the inning when he coaxed a grounder from Fernando Tatis for a potential double play, but Tim Anderson couldn't come up with the ball -- the first of two errors in the frame for the Marlins' shortstop. Puk's move back to the bullpen hasn't helped him turn his season around -- through five relief appearances and four innings, he has a 6.75 ERA and a 1:2 K:BB.

Jones (back/knee) took batting practice and completed light outfield drills prior to Monday's game, MLB.com reports.

This was significant progress for Jones, marking the first time he swung a bat since his first rehab assignment was halted when he experienced knee inflammation. The next step will be running the bases, but that could be the final benchmark before he embarks on a second rehab stint in the minors.