MLB Player News

Hayes is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest in St. Louis.

Hayes will receive Wednesday off after going hitless across his last four games. Sal Stewart will handle third base and bat fifth in Wednesday's matinee.

Friedl is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in St. Louis.

Friedl will receive a rare day off in the matinee contest after he had started in every game for the Reds since Aug. 27. Will Benson will patrol center field and bat third in Wednesday's rubber match.

Castro is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Castro had started in right field in each of the three games, but he'll hit the bench while Seiya Suzuki (illness) returns to the starting nine after missing each of the last five contests. Though the Cubs have an opening in right field while Kyle Tucker (calf) remains on the injured list, manager Craig Counsell could turn to Suzuki to fill the void in order to open up the designated-hitter spot for Moises Ballesteros, who has gone 7-for-18 with a home run, a triple and three walks. Ballesteros will be included in the lineup Wednesday and could be prioritized over Castro while the former is swinging the hotter bat of the two.

Steer (neck) will start at first base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game versus the Cardinals.

Steer had been scheduled to start Monday's game but was scratched due to neck spasms. However, he had a chiropractic adjustment Tuesday and is ready to play in Wednesday's series finale. Steer has been losing reps to Sal Stewart at first base, but Stewart will handle third base in Wednesday's contest.

The Cardinals will place Contreras (biceps) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a right biceps strain, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

The strain is considered mild, but it is bad enough to end the first baseman's season with less than two weeks remaining. Contreras will finish 2025 with a .257/.344/.447 batting line, 20 home runs and 80 RBI over 135 games. Alec Burleson will take over as the team's everyday first baseman down the stretch, opening up more playing time in the outfield for Jordan Walker and others.

Davis is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Cubs.

Davis started behind the plate in Tuesday's 4-1 loss, but Wednesday will mark the third time he's been out of the lineup over the last four contests. Prior to that, he had started four times over a five-game stretch. Joey Bart will step in behind the dish and bat fifth Wednesday.

Flores will start at first base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game versus the Cubs.

Flores was summoned from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday and will make his major-league debut Wednesday. The Pirates started Henry Davis at catcher Tuesday and are going with Joey Bart behind the plate Wednesday, so the team may not intend to give Flores extended run behind the plate down the stretch. He will, however, get his feet wet at first base, filling in for a resting Spencer Horwitz.

Skenes (10-10) took the loss Tuesday, giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks over 3.2 innings as the Pirates were downed 4-1 by the Cubs. He struck out six.

The young right-hander hurt his Cy Young case with his shortest outing of the season, one that got off to an ominous start when Michael Busch led off the game with a solo homer. Despite the stumble, Skenes still leads the NL in strikeouts (209) and ERA (2.03) and sits third in innings with 181.2, and his 0.96 WHIP is second only to the Padres' Nick Pivetta (0.95). Skenes lines up to make one more start before the end of the season, on the road in Cincinnati next week.

Kelly is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Kelly will head to the bench for the day game after he started behind the plate Monday and Tuesday while going 3-for-9 with a double. Reese McGuire will handle catching duties for the Cubs in the series finale.

Kittredge worked a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Pirates, though it was Brad Keller who got the ninth and the save.

Keller earned a one-out save Monday and then received a more conventional opportunity a night later, with Kittredge working the seventh inning. Kittredge recorded the Cubs' first three saves after Daniel Palencia (shoulder) hit the injured list, but it appears that Keller is in the closer mix as well. That gives both veteran relievers a temporary boost in fantasy value, though it may be hard to predict who manager Craig Counsell will turn to in the ninth for any given contest. Kittredge has at least earned the opportunity for more high-leverage work, as he has a 2.89 ERA and 26 strikeouts across 18.2 innings with Chicago since joining the team at the trade deadline.