MLB Player News

Rodriguez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Phillies.

Rodriguez started the first two games of the series (one at catcher, one at first base) but will get a breather in Thursday's tilt. Henry Davis will be behind the dish and bat ninth for the Pirates.

Lopez will start Wednesday's game against the Cardinals in Atlanta.

Lopez will be making his second straight appearance as a starter, though Mark Bowman of MLB.com previously reported that Atlanta could once again have Hurston Waldrep piggyback the veteran right-hander. In his last appearance Friday in San Francisco, Lopez threw three innings of one-run ball before Waldrep followed with two scoreless frames in relief. Lopez tossed 57 pitches in that outing, but even if he gets piggybacked agin, he could still push up his pitch count a bit more Wednesday.

Assad worked in relief during Tuesday's 9-7 win over the Padres, striking out one over 2.2 innings while allowing four earned runs on five hits and two walks.

After a three-game run as a starter during which he went 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over 16.2 innings, Assad was somewhat surprisingly deployed in relief Tuesday. In his second start back from the injured list, Matthew Boyd was lifted after covering the first five innings, with Assad entering behind him and being tasked with protecting a five-run lead. Assad's move to the bullpen doesn't sound like it will be a permanent one, with manager Craig Counsell telling Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network on Wednesday that the right-hander will make one more start before the All-Star break. However, with Jameson Taillon (hamstring) nearing a return from the injured list, Assad could be the odd man out of the rotation when the Cubs open their second-half schedule.

The Dodgers optioned Mills to Triple-A Oklahoma City following Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Athletics.

Mills struck out the side in the ninth inning to finish out Tuesday's victory in what was his lone appearance out of the Los Angeles bullpen during his latest stint in the big leagues. Per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register, the Dodgers are expected to recall left-hander Charlie Barnes from Oklahoma City on Wednesday in a corresponding move, and he's likely to be used as a bulk reliever in the club's series finale in Sacramento.

The Dodgers are expected to recall Barnes from Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to Wednesday's game against the Athletics in Sacramento, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Los Angeles has a vacancy on the 26-man active roster after optioning Wyatt Mills to Triple-A following Tuesday's 9-3 win, so Barnes will slide into the open spot. After Shohei Ohtani had his next turn in the rotation pushed to Friday, the Dodgers are expected to opt for a bullpen game for the series finale in Sacramento, and Barnes will likely be a prominent part of the team's pitching plan. Barnes has produced a 3.67 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over six starts with Oklahoma City, and after covering 5.2 innings in his most recent outing last Thursday, he'll offer plenty of length out of the Los Angeles bullpen.

Kelly is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

Kelly will rest for the day game after he caught all nine innings of the Cubs' 9-7 win Tuesday night. Miguel Amaya will handle catching duties in Wednesday's contest.

Andujar is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

Andujar started each of the last four games -- twice against lefties, twice against righties -- and went 6-for-14 with two doubles, one walk and one run. He should remain a regular presence in the lineup versus southpaws, but Andujar may have to settle for a part-time role against righties while the Padres seem to be prioritizing Ty France over him for the final spot in the everyday lineup.

Taylor is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

Taylor will exit the lineup for the first time since June 15, breaking a streak of 13 consecutive starts. Since being called up from Triple-A El Paso on June 3, Taylor has been able to take control of an everyday role in the outfield and of the No. 2 spot in the San Diego lineup by slashing .329/.414/.382 with one home run, six stolen bases, 11 RBI and 12 runs through 21 games. Taylor should remain a strong source of steals while he continues to play regularly, but fantasy managers should plan for a further downturn in his batting average, which has been propped up by a .490 BABIP.

Fermin is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

Fermin will rest for Wednesday's matinee game after he started at catcher in the first two contests of the series. Rodolfo Duran will step in behind the dish Wednesday and will bat eighth.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that the goal is for Cabrera (hamstring) to be throwing bullpen sessions before the All-Star break, Casey Drottar of MLB.com reports.

Cabrera landed on the 15-day injured list one week ago because of a moderate left hamstring strain. If Cabrera is able to resume mound work before the break, he would seem to have a chance to rejoin the Cubs' rotation before the end of July. However, the righty needs to check off a few boxes before a clearer timeline emerges.