MLB Player News

Madrigal is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

Madrigal will take a seat for the fourth consecutive game, with each of those absences coming against right-handed pitchers. At least for the time being, Mike Tauchman appears to have edged ahead of Madrigal for the final spot in the Cubs' regular lineup versus righties.

Dunn is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.

Dunn will take a seat after he went 1-for-10 with four strikeouts through the first two games of the series in Cincinnati, halting some of the momentum he had built during his hot start to the season. Joey Ortiz will replace Dunn at third base Wednesday, but the latter still looks to have a grasp on a regular role at this point.

Morel went 2-for-4 with a grand slam during Tuesday's 5-1 win over San Diego.

Morel launched his third homer of 2024 on Tuesday, tagging reliever Stephen Kolek for the grand slam on Kolek's first pitch out of the bullpen. The long ball was Morel's first grand slam of his career. He's now logged a hit in 10 of his 11 games this season and is slashing .326/.370/.605 with an excellent 10.9 percent strikeout rate across 46 plate appearances.

Pauley was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday.

Pauley has struggled to start the 2024 season, having recorded just two hits in 15 plate appearances. Before being optioned, the third baseman was battling with veteran Tyler Wade for playing time. The 23-year-old made only three starts, but he should have more opportunity for regular at-bats in El Paso. Brett Sullivan was recalled from Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move.

Brujan went 0-for-3 in Monday's 7-0 loss to the Yankees.

The 26-year-old has yet to pick up a hit through 12 at-bats this season, but his versatility should continue to get him spots in the lineup. Brujan is capable of playing all infield positions, and his plus speed allows him to get looks out in the outfield, as well.

High-A Rome placed McCabe on its 60-day injured list March 26 after he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow over the winter, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

As a position player, McCabe will face a shorter recovery from Tommy John surgery than a pitcher, but he may still miss the whole 2024 season due to the timing of his procedure. McCabe, who most recently slashed .278/.448/.361 with six doubles in 21 games in the Arizona Fall League, shouldn't need much more time at High-A before getting his first exposure to Double-A pitching.

Baty went 3-for-5 with a run scored in Monday's win over Atlanta.

All three knocks were singles, but it was still another impressive effort from the 24-year-old third baseman. After struggling during his first extended stint in the majors last year, Baty's come out like gangbusters to begin 2024, batting .333 (12-for-36) through 10 games with a homer, four runs, five RBI and a 3:8 BB:K.

Lipscomb went 3-for-5 with a run, an RBI and three stolen bases Monday in an 8-1 win over San Francisco.

Lipscomb was a key part of a big second inning for Washington, singling to left field to plate the team's first run and proceeding to steal second base. He reached third on a Luis Garcia infield single, then provided a big highlight when he stole home while San Francisco attempted to catch Garcia in a rundown. Lipscomb went on to collect two more hits and another theft in the contest, highlighting why he's remained in the lineup despite a recent 0-for-11 slump. The 23-year-old is slashing .265/.286/.353 with a homer, three RBI, five runs and four steals through 35 plate appearances.

Riley went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Sunday's win over the Diamondbacks.

After striking out in two of his first three at-bats, RIley came through for Atlanta with a two-run shot to give the team three runs of cushion heading into the ninth. He hasn't exactly been lighting up the box score in 2024, but Riley has consistently been one of baseball's best bats at the third-base position and should once again push for 30-plus homers.

Sosa went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and an additional run batted in Sunday against the Nationals.

Sosa made his first appearance in over a week, filling in for Bryson Stott -- who got the day off -- at second base. He delivered his first long ball of the campaign, tagging MacKenzie Gore for a solo homer in the fifth frame. He got only two looks at the plate, with Stott coming in to replace Sosa in the eighth inning. The utility man should continue to play sparingly, but he's a decent bat when in the lineup.