MLB Player News

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.

Reynolds is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Cubs.

Reynolds will get a routine day off while he's in the midst of a 4-for-31 stretch at the plate over his last eight contests. Nick Yorke will start in right field and bat seventh for the Pirates.

Suzuki (illness) will start in right field and bat fifth in Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

After being held out of action for each of the last five games due to a bout with bronchitis, Suzuki has finally made enough improvement in his recovery to re-enter the Chicago lineup for the series finale. With Kyle Tucker (calf) still on the injured list, Suzuki will pick up a start in the corner outfield, which will keep the designated-hitter spot open up for the hot-hitting Moises Ballesteros.

Horton (11-4) allowed just one run on three hits across five innings to earn the win in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over the Pirates. He walked one and struck out six.

Horton outdueled Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes, who allowed three runs in just 3.2 innings of work. The Chicago rookie hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last 11 starts, and he has a dazzling 0.93 ERA during that stretch. Overall, Horton has a 2.66 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across 115 innings this season, which makes him a strong contender for the National League Rookie of the Year award at the end of the year. The 24-year-old lines up to take the hill again Sunday against the Reds.