MLB Player News

Littell (6-6) took the loss Wednesday, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings as the Nationals were downed 6-2 by the Royals. He struck out two.

All four runs came on solo shots by Carter Jensen, John Rave, Lane Thomas and Michael Massey, not exactly a fearsome array of sluggers. It's the first time since April 28 that Littell has served up multiple homers in an outing, but after a five-start win streak he's dropped two straight decisions, getting tagged for nine runs in 6.2 innings during the sudden downturn. Littell will carry a 5.45 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 41:23 K:BB through 71 innings into his next trip to the mound, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Phillies.

Atlanta transferred Strider (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Strider landed on the 15-day IL on June 13 with right elbow inflammation, and it was later deemed that he would be shut down for at least four weeks. Although the 27-year-old avoided any structural damage to his elbow, Atlanta made the decision to transfer him to the 60-day IL in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Carlos Carrasco. Strider has only appeared in eight games this season for Atlanta after having the start of his campaign delayed due to an oblique injury that sidelined him until May 3.

Boyd (knee/shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment Saturday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

The location of Boyd's rehab outing has yet to be announced, but it will be his first game action since he suffered a setback with his shoulder following his June 6 rehab outing at Triple-A Iowa. It's also not clear whether Saturday will mark the left-hander's only rehab outing or if he'll require additional appearances coming off the setback. If he is cleared to rejoin the Cubs after Saturday, Boyd would be lined up to make his return to the big-league rotation next week.

Harris (back) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against San Francisco.

After being removed early from Tuesday's game against the Giants due to lower-back tightness, Harris will sit out Wednesday for Atlanta. On the season, the 25-year-old has posted a .306/.340/.514 with 14 homers and 41 RBI in 245 plate appearances. Mauricio Dubon will replace Harris in center field and atop the lineup.

Manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Cabrera's right hand is feeling better, and he's expected to be on a normal schedule leading up to his next start, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Cabrera was removed from his start Tuesday due to cramping in his right hand, but the Cubs don't seem to be very concerned about the issue. As long as he gets through his upcoming bullpen session without any problems, he should be ready for his next turn through the rotation against the Mets.

Lodolo (2-2) took the loss Wednesday, coughing up seven runs on 11 hits and two walks over 4.2 innings as the Reds were routed 9-1 by the Mets. He struck out two.

The southpaw escaped potential trouble in the first two innings thanks to double plays, but Lodolo's luck began to run out in the third as New York strung together three straight two-out RBI singles. He finally got the hook after 90 pitches (54 strikes), with the only silver lining on Lodolo's performance being that he didn't serve up a homer for only the second time in eight starts this season. The 28-year-old has been unable to find any sort of rhythm since missing the first six weeks of the campaign with blister issues, and he'll carry a 6.12 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 32:17 K:BB through 42.2 innings into his next outing, which is set to come at home early next week against the Brewers.

Canning (1-5) earned the win against the Cardinals on Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and three walks with two strikeouts over 4.1 innings.

Canning entered in the second inning and was actually the only Padres pitcher to allow a run, which came via a single in the fifth. The 30-year-old has opened June in uneven fashion, yielding one earned run in two of three outings with a seven-run blowup in between. Overall, he owns a 6.64 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 41:25 K:BB across 42 innings this season. With German Marquez (forearm) closing in on a return, it's unclear what Canning's role will be for his next turn through the rotation.

Soto went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 9-1 win over the Reds.

The superstar outfielder delivered his fifth multi-hit performance in the last seven games, as the big names in the Mets' offense have begun to come to life. Over his last 20 contests, Soto is batting .301 (22-for-73) with three doubles, five homers, one steal, 12 runs, 15 RBI and a 12:9 BB:K.

Ballesteros is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

Left-hander Sean Sullivan will start for the Rockies, so the Cubs will send the left-handed Ballesteros to the bench and swap a righty bat (Matt Shaw) into the lineup. The Cubs have gone out of their way to shield Ballesteros from lefties this season, with the 22-year-old having logged just eight of his 175 plate appearances against same-handed pitching.

Bichette went 3-for-4 with a walk, three runs scored and an RBI in Wednesday's 9-1 win over the Reds.

The former Blue Jay reeled off his sixth straight multi-hit performance while setting a season high in runs scored. Bichette was sitting on a .570 OPS after an 0-for-7 showing to begin June, but he's been on fire since then, batting .436 (24-for-55) over his last 13 games with five doubles, a triple, three homers, 11 runs and 14 RBI.