MLB Player News

Griffin (10-2) earned the win against the Astros on Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and no walks with nine strikeouts over seven innings.

Griffin allowed a run in the fifth inning but was otherwise untouchable, generating a whopping 22 swinging strikes on 99 pitches. The 30-year-old will head into the All-Star break having allowed exactly one run in seven straight outings while recording nine strikeouts in three of his past four. He owns a 2.77 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 109:26 K:BB across 110.1 innings in what has been one of the biggest surprise campaigns of 2026.

Rangel (0-2) took the loss Wednesday against the Reds, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks in 3.1 innings. He struck out five.

Rangel was inefficient Wednesday, as he tossed 69 pitches but couldn't make it through the fourth inning. The 28-year-old right-hander has completed five frames just one time through five appearances to this point, and it remains to be seen if the Phillies will give Andrew Painter another chance in their rotation at some point later this season. Through 19.1 innings, Rangel has a 4.19 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 22:9 K:BB, with the big club likely to evaluate his role during the upcoming All-Star break.

Abrams went 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk and two RBI in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Astros.

Abrams opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the third inning before clubbing his 20th homer of the season in the fifth, matching his career high. The All-Star shortstop is rounding out the season's first half with momentum, hitting safely in seven of his past eight games with three homers, 10 RBI and two steals over that span. On the year, he's slashing .276/.355/.517 with 20 homers, 67 RBI, 56 runs scored and 15 steals across 383 plate appearances.

Suzuki went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 9-7 win over the Orioles.

Suzuki blasted his 14th home run of the season in the seventh inning as the Cubs scored five times in the frame to pull away from Baltimore. The outfielder came into the contest mired in an 0-for-15 slump across his last four games, but before that, he had strung together a six-game hitting streak with three long balls and 11 RBI. Suzuki should remain a strong fantasy option after posting a career-best 32 home runs and 103 RBI during the 2025 regular season.

Garcia went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Astros.

Garcia broke the game open with a three-run blast in the fourth inning, reaching the 20-homer mark for the first time in his career. It continued a torrid run for the 26-year-old, who finished June on a tear and has opened July with four home runs, 11 RBI and two steals through the month's first seven games. On the season, he's slashing .291/.322/.572 with 20 long balls, 68 RBI, 45 runs scored and four steals across 307 plate appearances.

Crow-Armstrong went 2-for-4 with a walk, two solo home runs and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 9-7 win over the Orioles.

Crow-Armstrong continued his torrid start to July, as he now has a six-game hitting streak to begin the month with three home runs, six RBI and six runs scored. Overall, the star outfielder is on an eight-game hitting streak, which has pushed his season batting average up to .296 to go along with a robust .928 OPS. With 21 home runs and 23 stolen bases on the year, Crow-Armstrong is the first 20-20 player in the majors this season, and it could be a while before anyone else joins the club -- no one else who already has 20 steals has more than 14 homers (Oneil Cruz), while no other players with 20-plus home runs has swiped more than 15 bags (James Wood and CJ Abrams).

Kelly went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 9-7 win over the Orioles.

Kelly hit the pine Tuesday in favor of Miguel Amaya, but he returned Wednesday and popped his fifth home run of the season. The two Chicago catchers have alternated starts the last eight games, which keeps both players fresher but also caps their upside. Based on this recent trend, it seems likely that Kelly will return to the bench for Thursday's matinee.

Conforto went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 9-7 win over the Orioles.

Conforto has seen an elevated role in right field with Matt Shaw (hand) on the injured list, and the veteran has done well with the opportunity. Over his last 12 games, he's batting .324 with four home runs and nine RBI. Conforto will still generally hit the bench against left-handed pitching, though he's been useful recently against righties.

Webb pitched a scoreless inning with no strikeouts or walks to earn the save in Wednesday's 9-7 win over the Orioles.

After Daniel Palencia (elbow) landed on the injured list back in mid-June, Webb has stepped up as the primary closer for the Cubs, and he now has three saves in four chances since Palencia went out. The righty ceded a save opportunity to Trent Thornton on Tuesday, though Webb was called on in a high-leverage spot earlier in the game. Overall, the 32-year-old has a 3.18 ERA and 47 strikeouts across 39.2 innings this season, making him a fairly effective relief option to date.

Scott took a no-decision Wednesday against the Royals, allowing no runs on three hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out five.

Scott cooled down a Royals team that had exploded for 31 runs across their prior two games, scattering three singles over five shutout frames. The 27-year-old right-hander completed five innings for the first time since June 5 in San Diego, though he's still yet to get through six frames in any of his 12 outings on the year thus far. Scott is set to head into the All-Star break with a quality 3.17 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 65:26 K:BB across 54 innings.