MLB Player News

Littell (0-3) took the loss Wednesday against Atlanta, allowing eight runs (six earned) on seven hits (four home runs) and two walks in six innings. He struck out one.

After serving up the second-most homers in the major leagues a year ago, Littell is being plagued by the long ball once again in 2026. The right-hander tied his career worst in homers allowed Wednesday, and he's now been tagged for multiple big flies in all but one of his first five starts of the year en route to giving up an MLB-high 11 round-trippers so far. Though the Mets rank near the bottom of the majors in homers (17) through their first 24 games, Littell still won't be a recommended fantasy option when he takes a 7.56 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 15:8 K:BB through 25 frames into his next scheduled start in Queens.

Crow-Armstrong went 3-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and two RBI in Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Phillies.

Crow-Armstrong has yet to truly get going this year, but he does now have five hits across his last two games, and he's batting .345 over his last eight contests. The speedy outfielder is also up to five stolen bases, though he has already been caught three times. Crow-Armstrong swiped bags at an 81 percent success rate last season, and he figures to increase his 2026 percentage as the year goes along.

Suzuki went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Phillies.

A day after launching his first home run of the year, Suzuki blasted off again in Wednesday's victory. The outfielder looks fully recovered from an early-season knee injury, and he's now sporting an .846 OPS for the season after consecutive multi-hit games. Suzuki should remain in the lineup most days for the Cubs, playing in right field or serving as the team's DH.

Atlanta is expected to select Carrasco's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday, Barrett Sallee of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

Carrasco has made four starts at Triple-A Gwinnett this year and owns a 1.71 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB through 21 innings. He's now set to make his return to the big leagues but will likely operate in a long-relief role, as Atlanta will have an opening in its bullpen once Dylan Dodd (back) is officially placed on the injured list.

Patrick (1-1) took the loss Wednesday against the Tigers, allowing four runs on six hits and one walk in four innings. He struck out two.

Following opener DL Hall on Wednesday, Patrick struggled to contain the Detroit bats. Half of his hits allowed went for extra bases, and the right-hander gave up more than one run in an outing for the first time all season. While Patrick still holds a strong 2.35 ERA and 1.26 WHIP on the campaign so far, his 11:8 K:BB through 23 innings is an alarming ratio ahead of his next scheduled start at home versus the Diamondbacks.

Busch went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Phillies.

Busch has been off to a slow start to the season, as Wednesday's home run was his first of the year, and he's only batting .188 with a .525 OPS. Busch's struggles combined with the strong play of Nico Hoerner has allowed the latter to take over as Chicago's primary leadoff hitter. Busch can still produce from lower in the lineup, but the first baseman will need to keep producing like he did Wednesday to avoid hitting the bench on a more regular basis, particularly against lefties.

Atlanta will place Dodd on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a back strain, Barrett Sallee of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

Dodd was summoned from Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday and gave up an earned run in his appearance against Washington, but he seems to have come away from his outing with a back issue. He'll spend at least a couple of weeks on the injured list as a result, and Carlos Carrasco will come up from Triple-A to round out Atlanta's bullpen.

Bregman went 3-for-5 with a triple and a run scored in Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Phillies.

Bregman recorded his third three-hit game of the season and also tallied his first triple since 2024 in a productive performance Wednesday. The veteran third baseman is starting to get going after a slow start to his first campaign with the Cubs. Bregman was hitting just .188 through his first 12 games of the year, but his season average is now up to .263 after batting .333 over his last 12 contests.

Atlanta will option Fuentes to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday, Barrett Sallee of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

Fuentes was recalled from the minors to start Wednesday's game against Washington and will now head back down after giving up four earned runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out seven batters over three innings. The 20-year-old righty owns a 2.16 ERA at Triple-A and is viewed as Atlanta's top prospect, so he will likely receive more opportunities to showcase his talents at the major-league level later this season. JR Ritchie is slated to come up from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Atlanta will select Ritchie's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett to start Thursday's game against the Nationals, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Considered to be one of the best pitching prospects in Atlanta's farm system, Ritchie has posted a 0.99 ERA and 1.03 WHIP alongside a 28:13 K:BB through 27.1 innings (five starts) at Gwinnett this season. He's now earned the right to make a start with Atlanta and will take on a Nationals offense that ranks second in MLB with 142 runs scored through 25 games. The 22-year-old's time in the majors is likely to be brief, as Spencer Strider (oblique) is nearing the end of his rehab assignment and could return from the injured list next week. However, an impressive outing Thursday could buy Ritchie another start in the big leagues.