MLB Player News

Rogers (3-2) tossed a scoreless inning of relief to earn the win in Wednesday's 3-2 victory over Atlanta.

Jameson Taillon was making his return from the injured list after missing the past few weeks with a strained left groin, and he was limited to only 4.1 innings in the start. Rogers was first up out of the bullpen, which set him up for his third win of the year and first since joining the Cubs at the trade deadline. The veteran lefty now has a 3.35 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 10.1 K/9 across 45.2 innings this season split between Cincinnati and Chicago.

Kelly went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-2 win over Atlanta.

Kelly continued his recent power surge, as he now has four home runs over his last six games. During that span, he's also tallied seven RBI and he's sporting a 1.058 OPS. Kelly now has 17 long balls for the season, which puts him within one of his previous career high. The Chicago catcher has already set a new career high with 50 RBI this year.

Stephenson started at catcher and went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Padres.

Stephenson, who recently returned from a fractured thumb, was in the starting lineup for a second straight game. It was the first time that he played in back-to-back contests since his return, and Stephenson operated as the catcher in both. Since returning, he's 2-for-14 with a double, a home run and four RBI over five games.

Vargas entered Wednesday's game in seventh inning to play second base after Ketel Marte left with a foot injury. Vargas singled in his lone plate appearance.

Imaging on Marte's foot came back negative, and the Diamondbacks are hoping he'll be ready to go for the series in Minnesota that begins Friday. Vargas remains on hand if needed, as are Blaze Alexander and Tim Tawa.

Andujar has been limited to designated-hitter and pinch-hitting duties by a quad injury, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Andujar was a stellar under-the-radar trade deadline acquisition, rolling to a .388/.444/.673 slash line in his first 16 games with Cincinnati. It was at that time the quad injury popped up. This explains his limited usage the last few weeks, but the bat remains helpful. Andujar has gone 7-for-21 (.333) with three RBI and .772 OPS over the last eight contests. He also had the game-winning knock as a pinch hitter in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Padres.

Burns (elbow) will initially pitch out of the bullpen upon his expected activation Friday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Burns will be limited in his innings and usage but could make a serious impact as a reliever. The right-hander can pair a triple-digit fastball and wipeout slider in short outings. Burns has worked his way back from a flexor tendon strain that's kept him on the injured list since Aug. 15 (retroactive to Aug. 12).

Tawa started at first base and went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 5-3 win over San Francisco.

Tawa helped Arizona build an early lead with a run-producing single in the second inning and then scored the team's final run in the sixth. He's made two straight starts -- Tawa started in center field against a left-hander Tuesday. Wednesday's start at first was just his 11th in the pros, and he made a nice pick on a throw to keep Luis Matos off the bases. With MLB.com reporting that Tyler Locklear (elbow) is expected to miss the rest of the season, Tawa (against lefties) and Ildemaro Vargas (righties) will likely share first base going forward. Tawa also gives manager Torey Lovullo a right-handed bat to use against southpaws.

Perdomo went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Giants.

Perdomo put San Francisco on its back foot early, connecting on a leadoff homer in the first inning and then delivering a run-scoring single on his next at-bat one inning later. Despite a recent four-hit game, the shortstop's bat has been relatively quiet since the end of August; he entered Wednesday's game 8-for-47 (.170) over the previous 12 contests. The slump does nothing to diminish Perdomo's contributions in the second half, as he's slashed .319/.406/.465 since the All-Star break and is up to 18 home runs, 93 RBI and 25 steals over 146 games.

Sale (5-5) was charged with the loss Wednesday against the Cubs, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out nine.

Sale continues to rack up the strikeouts, as he's now fanned nine in three consecutive outings since coming off the injured list. The three runs allowed were his most since his April 13 start in Tampa Bay, but the All-Star southpaw has registered at least seven punchouts in 11 of his last 12 appearances dating back to the end of April. On the year, he has a stellar 2.52 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 141:28 K:BB across 107 frames. Sale is next slated to face the division-rival Nationals, who have a paltry .574 OPS against left-handed pitching since the All-Star break.

Taillon didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against Atlanta, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out two.

Taillon appeared to have a slight limitation on his workload in his return from the injured list, as he threw just 79 pitches Wednesday. The veteran right-hander still managed to put in 4.1 serviceable frames, although the two strikeouts represented his second-lowest total of the season. Taillon will be aiming to handle a full starter's workload in his next appearance, which lines up as a favorable matchup against the last-place Pirates. Through 110.2 innings, he has a 4.15 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 83:23 K:BB.