MLB Player News

Rea is no longer scheduled to start Tuesday's game in Philadelphia but appears likely to work in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Riley Martin.

Chicago had initially listed Rea as its starter for Tuesday, but the Cubs will instead have the lefty Martin take the hill to begin the game since the Phillies typically have two left-handed hitters (Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper) within the top three spots of the lineup. Martin is unlikely to work more than an inning or two before giving way to Rea, who is coming off a strong start at Tampa Bay last Wednesday in which he held the Rays to one run on two hits and two walks in five innings. Though Matthew Boyd (biceps) appears to be tracking toward a return from the injured list early next week, the Cubs should still have one more opening in the rotation for either Rea or Javier Assad. Rea is the presumptive frontrunner for that spot after Assad was blasted for nine earned runs over 4.1 innings in the Cubs' 13-7 loss in Monday's series opener.

Dobbins (knee) will make the third start of his rehab assignment Tuesday at Triple-A Memphis.

Dobbins reached five innings in both of his prior two starts with Memphis and produced a 3.48 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 10:3 K:BB across 10.1 frames in total between the outings. After Wednesday, the right-hander should be stretched out enough to handle a typical starter's workload, but it's unclear if St. Louis will have an opening for him in its rotation. Andre Pallante owns a 5.40 ERA and 1.60 WHIP through his three starts and would seem to be most at risk of moving to the bullpen if the Cardinals decide to shake up their rotation to make room for Dobbins once he's activated from the injured list.

Triple-A Memphis reinstated Hansen (shoulder) from its 7-day injured list Tuesday.

Hansen is likely to make his 2026 debut with Memphis later this week after making a four-inning start Sunday in his second and final rehab outing at Single-A Palm Beach. The 25-year-old lefty pitched exclusively at the Double-A level with Springfield in 2025, logging a 3.93 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 123:37 K:BB over 137.1 innings.

The Nationals recalled Parker from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday.

He's absorbing the roster and bullpen spot vacated by Jackson Rutledge. Parker boasts a 16:3 K:BB over 13.1 innings in his first three starts with Rochester this season, though that's come with a 6.08 ERA. The lefty will give the bullpen some length behind Tuesday's scheduled starter, Miles Mikolas, who's lasted a total of just 7.1 frames over his last two starts.

Montgomery has earned one win and three holds while posting a 7.11 ERA, 2.05 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB over 6.1 innings in seven appearances for the Pirates this season.

The ratios look ugly, but Montgomery has been better lately, allowing just one run with an 8:1 K:BB over his last four appearances. Acquired from Tampa Bay in the Brandon Lowe trade, Montgomery brings the heat from the left side (98.5 mph average fastball) and his breaking pitches all have whiff rates of 42 percent or higher. With manager Don Kelly keeping roles fluid at the back end of the bullpen, the door is open for Montgomery to eventually pick up some saves for Pittsburgh.

Peterson (0-3) took the loss against the Dodgers on Monday, allowing four runs on five hits and four walks while striking out seven batters over five innings.

Though his stat line was far from pretty, things could have been much worse for Peterson -- he opened the game by allowing four straight batters to reach base and was down 1-0 with the bases loaded and no outs. The lefty managed to escape the jam by striking out the final three batters he faced in the frame, but he couldn't pull off another magic act in the third, when he served up a three-run homer to Andy Pages. Peterson promisingly fanned a season-high seven batters, but he also issued a season-high four walks and threw only 55 of 89 pitches for strikes. He's now 0-3 on the campaign and holds an unattractive 6.41 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 21:10 K:BB over 19.2 innings spanning four starts.

Perez did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks over four innings against Atlanta. He struck out two.

Perez failed to qualify for the win, as the right-hander was pulled after four innings on just 76 pitches. After averaging six strikeouts in his first three starts of the season, the 22-year-old managed only two punchouts in Monday's outing. Through four appearances in 2026, Perez owns a 5.40 ERA and 1.55 WHIP with a 20:11 K:BB across 20 innings and is slated to face Milwaukee in his next start Sunday.

Sanchez (2-1) notched the win Monday against the Cubs, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out eight.

Other than serving up a two-run shot to Dansby Swanson in the fourth inning, Sanchez put together another strong outing Monday. The star left-hander fanned at least six for the fourth time in as many starts this year, also generating an impressive 16 whiffs on the evening. Sanchez, who owns a 2.01 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 31:7 K:BB over 22.1 innings, has given up two runs or fewer in each of his four appearances ahead of a difficult assignment this weekend against Atlanta.

Liberatore (0-1) allowed four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out two batters over five innings in a loss to Cleveland on Monday.

Liberatore gave up a solo homer to the second batter he faced in the game and surrendered three more runs in the fourth inning. He needed 105 pitches, only 61 of which were strikes, to get through five frames. Liberatore also continued to struggle to put batters away, as he's now notched exactly two strikeouts in three of his four starts this season. The southpaw gave up just one run in each of his first two outings but has given up exactly four runs in each of his past two starts. On the season, he has a 4.29 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 12:8 K:BB through 21 innings.

Nelson took a no-decision Monday against the Orioles, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks in 5.1 innings. He struck out seven.

Though Nelson held Baltimore to just three knocks Monday, two of which went for extra bases. The right-hander fanned a season-high seven, and Nelson has now kept the ball in the yard in back-to-back starts after serving up a pair of long balls in each of his prior two outings. Nelson, who owns a strong 3.54 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 19:8 K:BB over 20.1 innings, has given up three hits or fewer three times this year but is set for a tough test this weekend against Toronto.