MLB Player News

Swanson went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks and three runs scored in Sunday's 7-6 win over the Pirates.

Swanson has had a tough start to the 2026 season, as he entered Sunday's game with a .149 average and .515 OPS through the first 14 games. The shortstop got the scoring started for the Cubs in this one, taking Bubba Chandler deep to lead off the bottom of the third inning. He later walked and scored in the seventh and eighth innings. Swanson is slashing .163/.311/.306 with two home runs, seven RBI, 11 runs scored, one stolen base and an 11:17 BB:K across 61 trips to the plate.

Houser (0-2) took the loss against the Orioles on Sunday, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 4.2 innings.

Houser yielded two runs in the first inning and two more in the fifth. He threw just 51 of 88 pitches for strikes while generating only seven whiffs, allowing four earned runs for the second straight outing. The 33-year-old will carry a 5.06 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 10:5 K:BB across 16 innings into a road matchup against the Nationals next weekend.

Kelly went 2-for-5 with a double and RBI in Sunday's 7-6 win over the Pirates.

Making his 10th start over the first 15 games of the season, Kelly doubled in the fourth inning before providing the game-winning, walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth. Kelly is now slashing .308/.426/.385 with three doubles, four RBI, four runs scored and an 8:8 BB:K across 47 plate appearances.

Hoerner went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Sunday's 7-6 win over the Pirates.

The Cubs' leadoff man, Hoerner singled and scored in the fifth inning before hitting his seventh double of the season in the seventh. It was Hoerner's fourth multi-hit game of April, and he's now slashing .316/.420/.491 with one home run, 10 RBI, nine runs scored, five stolen bases and a 9:6 BB:K across 69 plate appearances.

Ballesteros went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 7-6 win over the Pirates.

With the Cubs struggling to score runs, manager Craig Counsell shook up his lineup Sunday and moved Ballesteros up to the second spot after he hit no higher than fifth in the order in any of the previous 14 games. Ballesteros struck out in the first inning but tagged Bubba Chandler for a solo shot in the third before singling in the fifth. Ballesteros was later pinch hit for in the seventh. The 22-year-old is now slashing .294/.342/.471 with two home runs, six RBI, five runs scored and a 3:9 BB:K across 38 plate appearances. If he's able to stick near the top of the lineup, Ballesteros should have more opportunities to make an impact in the box score.

Palencia (1-0) picked up the win over the Pirates on Sunday, allowing one walk with two strikeouts in a hitless and scoreless ninth inning.

With the game tied 6-6 in the top of the ninth, Palencia came on and struck out Konnor Griffin, got Joey Bart to ground out, walked Oneil Cruz and struck out Brandon Lowe. The Cubs walked it off in the bottom half of the inning to get Palencia his first win of the 2026 campaign. Chicago's closer has pitched in five games to this point and has yet to allow a run with a 5:2 K:BB across five innings. He's recorded just one save.

Taillon didn't factor into the decision Sunday against the Pirates, allowing six runs on six hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts across six innings.

Taillon was in line for the loss, but the Cubs rallied back from a three-run deficit to tie it in the eighth before walking off the Pirates in the ninth. Taillon clearly didn't have his best stuff, but when he wasn't serving up home runs to Brandon Lowe, Taillon was piling up the strikeouts. The right-hander fell one short of his career high of 11, which he recorded Sept. 18 of the 2018 season. It was just the fourth time in 226 career regular-season starts that Taillon has recorded double-digit strikeouts. The 34-year-old owns a 4.86 ERA and 17:6 K:BB across 16.2 innings but has served up four home runs over three starts. Taillon is in line to face the Mets at home Saturday.

Burleson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 9-3 loss to the Red Sox.

In the bottom of the eighth, Burleson barreled a 430-foot homer to dead center that left the bat at 111.6 mph. It snapped a 13-game homerless drought for Burleson, who is now slashing .259/.379/.407 with two homers, 11 RBI, seven runs scored, one stolen base and an 11:5 BB:K across 66 plate appearances.

Walker went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in Sunday's 9-3 loss to the Red Sox.

In his first at-bat of the afternoon, Walker took Brayan Bello deep to left field for his MLB-leading seventh home run of the season. The ball left the bat at 103.8 mph and traveled 432 feet. He later blistered a single to center field. Hitting the ball as hard as anyone through two-plus weeks of the season, Waker is now slashing .327/.393/.745 with the seven homers, 14 RBI, 13 runs scored, one stolen base and a 6:17 BB:K across 61 plate appearances.

Pallante (1-1) took the loss Sunday against the Red Sox, allowing seven runs on 10 hits and one walk with two strikeouts across five innings.

The entire afternoon was a struggle for Pallante, who was hit early and often in this one. Lacking swing-and-miss stuff, Pallante also struggled a bit with his command, as he hit a pair of batters across the first two innings. He also served up a two-run homer to Willson Contreras in the top of the first. Pallante then loaded the bases in the fourth with two singles and a walk before Jarren Duran hit a bases-clearing double. Pallante now owns a 5.40 ERA and 7:8 K:BB across 15 innings. His next start is tentatively lined up for Saturday in Houston.