MLB Player News

Swanson went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Playing against the team that drafted him first overall back in 2015, Swanson notched his first multi-hit performance in 12 days. The shortstop hasn't really gotten going yet, as he's batting just .235 with two home runs and two stolen bases across 18 games. However, Swanson is at no real risk of losing playing time, and he has the talent to heat up in a hurry.

Bellinger went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Bellinger is off to a bit of a slow start, with just a .200 batting average, a .667 OPS and three home runs across 18 games. However, he is now riding a modest four-game hitting streak, and perhaps Wednesday's long ball will give him another boost of momentum. Bellinger batted .307 with an .881 OPS and 26 home runs a season ago, so the upside is certainly there.

Wicks allowed two runs on five hits over 4.1 innings and did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Diamondbacks. He walked one and struck out five.

Wicks pitched well and continued to miss bats at a solid rate, but the Cubs decided to pull him after just 74 pitches. The young lefty logged 126 innings last season across three levels, with only 34.2 of them coming in the majors, so the team is likely just being conservative with his workload in the early going. However, his 24 strikeouts in only 17 innings this year are reason for optimism moving forward. Wicks is penciled in to start again Tuesday against the Astros.

Wesneski (1-0) tossed four scoreless innings of relief to earn the win Wednesday against the Diamondbacks. He allowed just one hit and struck out two.

Wesneski was summoned from Triple-A Iowa earlier in the day, and he quickly made an impact. The righty pitched well for Iowa, posting a 2.53 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over 10.2 innings, and he has a chance to fill a long-relief role with the Cubs moving forward. Wesneski will have limited fantasy value unless he's able to enter the rotation at some point, which doesn't seem to be imminent.

Tovar went 3-for-5 with two runs batted in and a run scored during Wednesday's loss to the Phillies.

Tovar entered the game 1-for-14 (.071) over his last four games but snapped the cold spell with his seventh multi-hit performance of the campaign. While he's striking out at an alarming 31.3 percent clip, Tovar ranks top three on the Rockies in hits (22), RBI (10) and runs scored (nine) while slashing .306/.363/.486.

Turner went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during Wednesday's 7-6 win over Colorado.

Turner went back-to-back with Kyle Schwarber in the first inning for solo home runs off Ryan Feltner, marking the shortstop's second long ball of 2024. He's been on a tear during the Phillies' last two series, going 12-for-29 (.413) at the plate with six extra-base hits and seven runs scored over seven games.

Schwarber went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and a solo home run during Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Rockies.

Schwarber notched his first multi-homer game of the season -- a feat he accomplished three times in the 2023 regular season -- with the solo homer coming off Ryan Feltner in the first inning and the two-run shot coming at the expense of Peter Lambert in the sixth. The performance came on the heels of three straight games without a hit (0-for-11), pushing Schwarber out of the mini-slump.

Alvarado picked up the save Wednesday, allowing one hit and no walks with one strikeout over a scoreless inning against Colorado.

After keeping the Rockies off the scoreboard in the ninth inning Wednesday, Alvarado has now turned in eight straight scoreless appearances (7.2 innings) since his nightmare five-run 2024 debut. While it'll still take some time to get Alvarado's ERA down to an acceptable number, fantasy managers can take solace in knowing that Alvarado has looked like himself since turning the page on his March 29 outing.

Feltner (1-2) took the loss Wednesday, allowing six runs on nine hits and two walks over 5.1 innings against Philadelphia. He struck out eight.

The Phillies teed off on Feltner in the first inning, starting the game with back-to-back solo shots by Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner as part of a four-run frame. Though Feltner settled in afterward, the damage was already done. Wednesday's outing was the first hiccup in what's been a very successful start to the 2024 campaign for Feltner. Before facing the Phillies, Feltner had allowed three or fewer earned runs in each of his three starts. He's lined up to make his next start Tuesday against the Padres at Coors Field.

Sanchez (1-2) earned the win Wednesday, allowing one unearned run on five hits and one walk with 10 strikeouts over six innings against Colorado.

Sanchez was incredible Wednesday, tying his career high in strikeouts without allowing an earned run. Although Brenton Doyle did cross the plate in the first inning, Doyle reached base on an error by Alec Bohm. Sanchez has delivered back-to-back quality starts and owns a 10.5 K/9 -- a career high as it stands -- across four starts. He's tentatively scheduled for a matchup with the Reds at Great American Ball Park on April 24.