MLB Player News

McNeil is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Cubs.

The left-handed-hitting McNeil will take a seat as the Cubs send southpaw Shota Imanaga to the hill. Luisangel Acuna will start at second base and bat ninth.

Alvarez is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

After starting and homering in both of the first two games of the series, Alvarez will get a breather for Thursday's finale. Luis Torrens is catching and batting sixth for the Mets.

Ashcraft (4-4) took the loss Thursday against Cincinnati, allowing two runs on eight hits and a walk over 4.1 innings. He struck out five.

Ashcraft was sharp early, holding the Reds scoreless through his first four innings, but he stumbled in the fifth, allowing a pair of runs after giving up four straight hits to open the frame. While it didn't end on a high note, Ashcraft had a strong rookie campaign as a swingman in Pittsburgh, posting a 2.71 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 71:24 K:BB across 69.2 innings. He'll likely be in the mix to claim a rotation spot in 2026.

Pagan turned in a perfect ninth inning in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Pirates to earn his 30th save.

Thanks to Noelvi Marte's home-run robbery in the ninth inning, Pagan has now converted his last four save chances while holding opponents scoreless in his last eight innings -- he's allowed just four hits while striking out eight in that span. The veteran right-hander sports a 2.97 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP and 79 strikeouts across 66.2 innings this season.

Lodolo was pulled from Thursday's start versus the Pirates in the seventh inning due to a right groin injury.

The Reds are calling the exit precautionary, suggesting Lodolo would have a chance to be ready for a postseason start next week, should his team qualify. If it was the lefty's final start of the season, he went out on a high note, fanning 12 batters while permitting only two hits and one walk over 6.1 scoreless innings. The stellar performance lowered Lodolo's season ERA to 3.30.

Lodolo was removed from Thursday's start against the Pirates in the seventh inning with an apparent injury, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

Lodolo was visited by the trainer after striking out Andrew McCutchen to lead off the top of the seventh inning and eventually walked off the field. It's unclear what happened, but blisters have been an issue for Lodolo in the past, so it's possible another one popped up. The Reds should have more on his condition shortly. Lodolo was dominant before being removed, striking out 12 while yielding just two hits and one walk over 6.1 scoreless frames.

The Mets recalled Herget from Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday.

Herget has posted a 3.00 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 12 innings in the big leagues this season, and he'll now return to give the Mets' bullpen another fresh arm for the final few games of the regular season. Richard Lovelady was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Thursday that Turner (hamstring) will not be activated from the 10-day injured list Friday, and he's not sure whether the shortstop will return at any point during the weekend series versus the Twins, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The good news is Turner had another good workout Thursday and Thomson is adamant that his starting shortstop will be ready for Game 1 of the NLDS on Oct. 4. Ideally, Turner will be back at some point this weekend in order to knock rust off before the playoffs, but the primary goal is to have him ready for the postseason. He's been sidelined for much of September with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain.

Harper (illness) will start at first base and bat third Thursday against Miami, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Harper missed the Phillies' last two games while fighting off an illness, but he seems to be feeling better heading into Thursday's series finale. The 32-year-old slugger will aim to finish the year strong after posting an .839 OPS across 85 plate appearances since the beginning of September.

Realmuto (finger) will start at catcher and bat sixth Thursday against the Marlins, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Realmuto sat out Wednesday's contest after taking a foul ball off his right index finger Tuesday, and he's now ready to return to the starting nine after a day of rest. The 34-year-old backstop has been cold at the plate toward the end of the regular season, slashing .210/.288/.290 across 73 plate appearances since the beginning of the month.