MLB Player News

Winn went 0-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Reds.

Winn reached on a fielder's choice and notched his second major-league steal in the fourth inning. It's been a rough adjustment to the majors for the rookie shortstop, who has gone 3-for-23 (.130) over six games in September. He's batting .156 with one home run, four RBI and six runs scored through his first 18 contests. While Winn is seeing a majority of the playing time at shortstop, Tommy Edman has occasionally filled in there as well.

Edman went 3-for-4 in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Reds.

Edman has hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games, going 16-for-49 (.327) in that span. The utility man has also shown little hesitation on the bases with seven steals over that span. Edman is seeing regular playing time between second base, shortstop and center field. He's at a .251/.314/.416 slash line with 12 home runs, 24 steals, 45 RBI and 62 runs scored across 119 contests.

Montero went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk Saturday against the Giants.

Montero has taken over as Colorado's primary first baseman following the demotion of Michael Toglia, and he's started seven of eight games since Sept. 1. In that span, he's collected eight hits across 24 at-bats and more importantly, has dropped his strikeout rate to 20.7 percent. Hunter Goodman could be a threat to Montero's playing time, but to this point, the Rockies have used Goodman primarily as an outfielder.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Saturday's 4-3 win over Cincinnati.

Contreras came up with a couple big hits early for the Cardinals, plating a run with a first-inning single and adding a two-run homer in the third. It was the third straight contest with a long ball for the veteran catcher, and he's knocked in exactly three runs in each of those contests. With 19 homers on the year, Contreras needs one more the rest of the way to record his fourth straight full season (excluding the shortened 2020 campaign) with at least 20 long balls.

Spiers (0-1) took the loss against St. Louis on Saturday, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks while striking out one batter over three-plus innings.

Spiers got his second big-league start after tossing four innings against the Cubs last Sunday, but he wasn't able to impress in the opportunity. The right-hander was handed a 3-1 lead through two frames but allowed the Cardinals to draw even on a two-run homer by Willson Contreras in the third. Spiers was allowed to return for the fourth, but he was pulled after giving up an inning-opening single to Tommy Edman. The rookie hurler was hurt by his wildness -- he walked three batters, and two of those came around to score. Spiers has given up seven runs on 10 hits while posting an 8:5 K:BB over seven frames across his two outings. With the Reds fighting for a playoff spot and likely welcoming a trio of starters (Hunter Greene, Brandon Williamson and Ben Lively) who have been on the COVID-19 IL back soon, Spiers may be headed back to the minors in short order.

Helsley earned a save against the Reds on Saturday, walking one batter and notching one strikeout over one scoreless inning.

Helsley entered with a one-run lead in the ninth inning and walked the first batter he faced but quickly rebounded to induce a double-play groundout. He then worked a full count to Will Benson before ending the contest with a punchout. This was Helsley's first save opportunity since he returned from an extended stay on the injured list Sept. 1. The right-hander has been excellent since being activated, posting a 6:2 K:BB while allowing just one hit over four scoreless frames.

Thompson (5-5) earned the win over Cincinnati on Saturday, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out six batters over five innings.

Thompson looked like he could be in for a short start when the Reds tallied three runs on four hits in the second frame, but the southpaw recovered and didn't allow any additional damage the rest of the way. He needed 98 pitches to get through five innings, going just deep enough to earn his third win across his past four starts. Thompson has been decent during that stretch, posting a 4.29 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 20:8 K:BB over 21 frames. He's tentatively slated to face the Phillies at home in his next start.

Steele allowed just one run on six hits across seven innings but did not factor into the decision Saturday against the Diamondbacks. He had no walks and struck out six.

Steele dazzled, but the Cubs managed just one run while he was in there and only two for the whole game as they fell in 10 innings. The lefty was excellent nonetheless, and over his last five starts he has a 1.36 ERA with 39 strikeouts across 33 innings. For the season, Steele has a stellar 2.49 ERA, and he's firmly in the NL Cy Young race. He'll look to keep rolling and pick up his 17th win in his next scheduled start, which is penciled in for Friday against these same Diamondbacks.

Bellinger went 2-for-5 with two RBI in Saturday's 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Diamondbacks.

Bellinger plated runs with singles in the third and 10th innings, giving him a team-high 88 RBI for the season. The 28-year-old has had a resurgent first season with the Cubs, as he's sporting a .909 OPS and has looked more like the MVP player he was with the Dodgers back in 2019. Bellinger should remain a key contributor for Chicago down the stretch as the squad battles for a playoff spot.

Yastrzemski went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 9-1 win over the Rockies.

Yastrzemski has gone 10-for-23 (.435) over his last eight games. The outfielder was productive from atop the order Saturday, a spot that's typically been occupied by LaMonte Wade when the Giants are facing a right-handed pitcher. For the season, Yastrzemski has a .248/.330/.468 slash line, 13 home runs, 38 RBI, 50 runs scored, 20 doubles and a stolen base over 86 contests.