MLB Player News

Amaya will start at catcher and bat eighth in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Mets.

Top backstop Carson Kelly will rest for the early contest of the twin bill, clearing the way for Amaya to draw his 32nd start of the season through the Cubs' first 79 games. Amaya has posted a respectable .721 OPS over 124 plate appearances, but he's unlikely to see a dramatic spike in playing time while Kelly has produced at a similar level (.766 OPS) and is a more established big-league catcher.

Caissie went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's win over the Rangers.

He also struck out two more times, but Caissie provided what proved to be crucial insurance runs in the fifth inning when he took Jose Corniell deep on a first-pitch changeup that caught way too much of the plate. Caissie's up to nine homers on the season, and four of them have come over 17 contests in June -- a stretch in which he's slashing .191/.273/.489 with six runs, 14 RBI and a 32.7 percent strikeout rate.

Kelly is out of the lineup for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Mets.

Miguel Amaya will be behind the plate for Game 1 of the twin bill, but Kelly is expected to draw the start at catcher for the second game of the day and form a battery with starting pitcher Shota Imanaga. After totaling just two RBI from May 16 through June 16, Kelly has plated nine runs in his last three games alone while providing three extra-base hits and four walks.

Bregman is not in the lineup for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Mets.

The Cubs will go with Pedro Ramirez at third base in Wednesday's afternoon game. Bregman will likely be back at the hot corner for the nightcap.

Fairbanks gave up two runs on two hits in the ninth inning of Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Rangers. He struck out one.

Called in to protect a 6-2 lead, Fairbanks made things interesting by serving up a two-out solo shot to Joc Pederson before hitting Wyatt Langford with a pitch and giving up an RBI triple to Brandon Nimmo. Josh Jung then nearly tied the game on a hanging slider, but instead the ball came up a couple feet short of the fence in center field for the final out. Fairbanks has had a bumpy June, posting a 5.19 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 11:4 K:BB in 8.2 innings, but he's gone a perfect 5-for-5 in save chances this month while adding a win and a hold in nine appearances.

Soto (back) is not in the lineup for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Cubs.

Soto had to leave Tuesday's game against the Cubs due to left side back tightness, so it's not a surprise he's sitting for the first game of a double dip. He is considered day-to-day. MJ Melendez is grabbing a start in left field in Soto's place.

The Marlins optioned Fulton to Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday.

Fulton's stay with the Marlins lasted just one week, with the lefty striking out three batters and allowing no hits and one walk over three scoreless innings between his two relief appearances. He'll head back to Jacksonville and will likely move back into the rotation while he gives up his spot on the Marlins' 26-man active roster to right-hander Eury Perez (gracilis), who was reinstated from the 15-day injured list ahead of his start Wednesday against the Rangers.

Rogers gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits in one inning of relief Tuesday to take his third blown save of the season in an extra-innings loss to the Astros.

With Louis Varland getting some rest after throwing 40 pitches while working two of the prior three days, manager John Schneider had to look to other high-leverage options in a close game. Jeff Hoffman got the final two outs in the eighth inning with the score tied 4-4, and after the Blue Jays took a two-run lead in the bottom of that frame, Rogers got the call in the top of the ninth. The veteran right-hander couldn't close the door, giving up back-to-back singles to Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez to begin the inning and watching both eventually come around to score on a catcher's interference call and a sacrifice fly. The earned run was the first on Rogers' ledger since May 25, although he did get tagged for five unearned runs against the Cubs on June 19. On the season, he sports a 1.91 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 20:12 K:BB over 37.2 innings with one win, two saves and 17 holds, and he may be due for some rest of his own -- only teammates Mason Fluharty (42 appearances) and Braydon Fisher (40) have appeared in more games this season than Rogers.

Seager (concussion) appears to be trending toward a return from the 7-day injured list ahead of Thursday's game in Toronto, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Per MLB.com, Seager took part in live batting practice and simulated defensive work during a pregame workout Tuesday, with his activity signaling that he's nearly cleared concussion protocol after experiencing some mild concussion symptoms following an on-field collision June 11 in Kansas City. Seager still has a couple of boxes to check before formally clearing the protocol, and due to the early start time of the Rangers' game against the Marlins on Wednesday, the team won't try and rush him back into action for the series finale in Miami. Assuming Seager is ready to play during the Rangers' four-game series in Toronto, Ezequiel Duran will likely move off shortstop and displace Nicky Lopez as the team's primary option at the keystone.

Sanoja is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Rangers.

It's a routine day off for Sanoja, who picked up two hits in Tuesday's win over Texas. Leo Jimenez will handle third base for the Marlins in Sanoja's stead.