Long is slashing .311/.410/.492 with 20 home runs, a 13.2 percent walk rate and a 19.1 percent strikeout rate in 132 games for Triple-A Iowa.

The righty-hitting first baseman did everything in his power to force a promotion to the big leagues, but he's not on the 40-man roster and there's a logjam ahead of him on the organizational depth chart. Long has dabbled at third base and in left field, but it's unlikely the Cubs would play him at either of those positions in the majors. Michael Busch starts at first base against righties and Seiya Suzuki has started 102 games at designated hitter this year, with prospects who are on the 40-man like Moises Ballesteros, Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara also muddying Long's playing time outlook for 2026. Despite Long's stellar age-23 campaign, he won't need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason, so he will probably return to Triple-A next year for an indefinite period.

Busch is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game in Atlanta.

Busch has produced a lowly .549 OPS versus left-handed pitching this season, so he'll head to the bench for the series finale while southpaw Chris Sale takes the hill for Atlanta. Carlos Santana will step in for Busch at first base and will bat fifth.

Steer isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against San Diego.

Despite going 4-for-10 with an RBI and five runs scored to begin the month, Steer will concede a second consecutive start at first base to Sal Stewart on Wednesday.

Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The left-handed-hitting Smith started in each of the Giants' last five games while the team went up against right-handed starting pitchers, but he'll bow out of the lineup for the series finale with southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez on the bump for Arizona. Smith's absence from the starting nine clears the way for Wilmer Flores to fill in at first base.

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

Vaughn started the first two games of the series and each of the last six contests, but he'll get a break during Wednesday's finale. Jake Bauers -- not the recently-activated Rhys Hoskins -- will fill in at first base in Vaughn's stead.

Burke is slashing .308/.382/.558 with eight home runs and 27 RBI in 32 games for Double-A Biloxi.

The lefty-hitting first baseman cut his groundball rate from 52.4 percent at High-A to 45.5 percent at Double-A, and his game power has taken off as a result. Burke, who was promoted from High-A Wisconsin to Biloxi on Aug. 2, will face significant internal competition for playing time in the coming years, as first rounders Brock Wilken and Andrew Fischer are also most likely to end up at first base and Andrew Vaughn is under club control through the 2027 season. Still, Burke, who turned 22 in June, has opened eyes with his performance for the Shuckers and he may not require a full 2026 season's worth of development in the upper levels before his bat is big-league ready.

Freeman went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 7-2 win over the Rockies.

Freeman reached the 20-homer mark with his eighth-inning blast Tuesday. He's had a modest start to September, going 7-for-32 (.219) over his first eight games this month, though four of those hits have gone for extra bases. The first baseman's still at a .295/.367/.500 slash line for the year while adding 79 RBI, 71 runs scored, 37 doubles, two triples and five stolen bases over 131 contests. Freeman has reached the 20-homer mark in every full-length season since 2016.

Locklear (elbow) will miss the remainder of the season, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.

Left elbow inflammation sent Locklear to the injured list Monday, and it seems the Diamondbacks have already decided to keep him shut down for the rest of the season. The 24-year-old first baseman is slated for further imaging to determine the extent of his injury, and there's a chance he may go under the knife to address the issue. He'll finish 2025 with a .175/.267/.262 slash line through 116 MLB plate appearances alongside three home runs, six RBI, 11 runs scored and three stolen bases. With Locklear sidelined, Ildemaro Vargas is the favorite to take over as Arizona's first baseman for the rest of the year.

Bernabel was placed on the 7-day concussion injured list Tuesday, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.

Bernabel suffered a head injury in Monday's contest against the Dodgers, which is now understood to be a concussion. The 23-year-old will be forced to miss at least a week of action while recovering. In the meantime, Michael Toglia was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday to replace Bernabel on the active roster.

Toglia was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.

Toglia will return to the big leagues after being sent down to Albuquerque on Aug. 3 and batting .367 with six home runs, 17 RBI and 16 runs scored over 25 contests following his demotion. The 27-year-old will replace Warming Bernabel (concussion) on the major-league roster after Bernabel was placed on the 7-day injured list Tuesday.