MLB Player News

Swanson (glute) will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Friday's game versus the Diamondbacks.

Swanson didn't start the Cubs' last game Wednesday due to a left glute cramp, but he's ready to go for Friday's series opener. The 32-year-old is hitting only .214 in his first 30 games this season, but the counting stats have been there with six home runs, 23 RBI, 23 runs and two stolen bases.

Abrams went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run and three RBI in Thursday's win over the Mets.

The shortstop took Luke Weaver deep in the eighth inning for a two-run homer that proved to be the game-winning hit. Abrams is heating up again, racking up six hits in the last three games to boost his slash line on the season to .296/.405/.556 with eight long balls, five steals, 16 runs and 26 RBI through 31 games.

The Diamondbacks optioned Abner to Triple-A Reno on Friday.

Abner yielded two runs over 2.1 innings in Thursday's blowout loss to the Brewers in what was his lone outing with the big club after being recalled earlier this week. He's being sent out in favor of a fresh bullpen arm.

The Diamondbacks recalled Garcia from Triple-A Reno on Friday.

Garcia earned the promotion after holding a 2.19 ERA and 18:10 K:BB over 12.1 innings with Reno. The hard-throwing southpaw will likely be used in low-leverage relief situations initially.

Kent has seen his velocity jump significantly this season, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.

An unheralded left-hander taken in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, Kent struggled to a 5.59 ERA in six starts last season with Double-A Harrisburg as his pitchability couldn't make up for a mediocre fastball in the low 90s. This year in a return to Double-A, the 23-year-old is popping 95 mph, and the result has been a 3.14 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 20:4 K:BB in his first 14.1 innings. Kent has a long way to go to get on the prospect radar, but he flashes a plus changeup and has elite extension along with a couple of work-in-progress breaking pitches, so the foundation is there for a big-league arsenal if his development curve continues pointing up.

The Diamondbacks activated Moreno (oblique) from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Moreno is ready to go after missing the past two-plus weeks with a left oblique strain. Since his absence was relatively brief, the Diamondbacks felt a rehab assignment wasn't necessary. He'll return to being the team's primary catcher.

King is slashing .295/.409/.602 through 23 games for Double-A Harrisburg with six homers, three steals, 23 runs and 24 RBI.

The 2024 first-round pick may have been the biggest beneficiary of the Nationals' overhaul of their minor-league development program under new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. King's 1.011 OPS is more than 400 points better than what he managed in 80 games at Harrisburg last season, and advanced metrics paint an even rosier picture of the 23-year-old's improvement. Per Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, King's average exit velocity has jumped from about 87 mph to 93.5 mph, and his chase rate has dropped from about 38 percent to around 25 percent. The Wake Forest product is knocking loudly on the door for a promotion to Triple-A Rochester.

Torrens went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in Thursday's loss to the Nationals.

The Mets have bigger problems right now than the production they're getting from their No. 2 catcher, but Torrens has still gone just 2-for-18 without a run or an RBI over his last eight appearances dating back to April 9. He'll continue providing Francisco Alvarez with occasional breathers, but Torrens isn't making any kind of case for a bigger role.

Tong has posted a 5.68 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 38:15 K:BB through six starts and 25.1 innings for Triple-A Syracuse.

The 22-year-old right-hander is still working on both his control and command -- Tong has issued multiple walks in all six of his starts, and he's served up five homers -- but his 13.5 K/9 in the early going is hard to ignore. The back of the Mets' big-league rotation is a mess, with Kodai Senga (back) having mercifully been placed on the IL and David Peterson struggling badly, and while Christian Scott has already been called up to fill Senga's spot, there could be more changes coming for the 10-21 squad. Tong's biggest obstacle to a promotion might be Syracuse rotation-mate Jack Wenninger, who's produced a 1.61 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 26:12 K:BB through his first five starts and 22.1 innings this season.

Wenninger allowed four hits and a walk over 5.2 scoreless innings for Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday in a win over Lehigh Valley. He struck out a season-high seven.

Christian Scott is already up in the majors to help out a beleaguered Mets rotation, and Wenninger is making a case to leapfrog Jonah Tong and be the next arm to get called up. Through his first five starts for Syracuse, Wenninger sports a 1.61 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 26:12 K:BB over 22.1 innings -- a sharp contrast to Tong's 5.68 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 25.1 innings, although he's also struck out 38 batters against 15 walks. Both young right-handers have control issues to iron out, but with Kodai Senga (back) on the IL and David Peterson struggling badly, there could be another spot open in the big-league rotation very soon.