MLB Player News

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.

Susac is not in the lineup for Wednesday's matchup against Atlanta, reports Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Susac will ride the bench Wednesday after going 0-for-4 with a strikeout during Tuesday's matchup against Atlanta. Eric Haase will replace Susac in the field at catcher and bat ninth.

Mclean (4-4) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing one unearned run on three hits and one walk over seven innings in a 9-1 victory over the Reds. He struck out nine.

The right-hander had walked 12 batters in 15 innings over his prior three starts, but McLean showed better command Wednesday as he tossed 63 of 101 pitches for strikes en route to his seventh quality start of the season and highest strikeout total since April 21. He'll take a 3.67 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 97:32 K:BB through 83.1 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Cubs.

The Rockies optioned Halvorsen to Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday.

Halvorsen has turned in a 3.31 ERA through 16.1 innings with the Rockies this season, but he'll end up as the odd man out of Colorado's bullpen following Jimmy Herget's (shoulder) return from the injured list. Based on the results Halvorsen has gotten in both the majors and at Triple-A (2.45 ERA in 14.2 IP), he's a safe bet to rejoin the Rockies at some point when the team needs a fresh arm.

The Rockies reinstated Herget (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

Herget will make his return to Colorado after missing over a month of action due to a shoulder impingement. Before being shelved with the injury, the 32-year-old recorded a 5.06 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 17:4 K:BB through 16 innings this season. In order to make room for Herget on the active roster, the Rockies optioned Seth Halvorsen to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Ortiz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.

Ortiz had made four consecutive starts to close out the past week, but he looks like he'll have to settle for a utility role after the Brewers promoted one of their top prospects (Cooper Pratt) from Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday. Milwaukee will keep Ortiz on the bench for a second straight night while Pratt gets another look as the team's starting shortstop.

Merrill went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Cardinals.

Merrill put an exclamation point on a three-hit effort with a two-run homer in the ninth inning, notching a homer and a steal in the same game for the second time this season. The 23-year-old is showing some signs of life at the plate, going deep twice in his past five contests while tallying multiple hits in four of his past eight. On the season, he's slashing .213/.277/.358 with eight home runs, 30 RBI, 32 runs scored and 12 stolen bases across 294 plate appearances.

The Giants activated Gage (knee) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Gage has been sidelined since early June with right knee inflammation, but he made one successful rehab appearance to show the Giants he was ready to go. Reiver Sanmartin was optioned back to Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move.

The Giants optioned Sanmartin to Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Sanmartin made two appearances for San Francisco, allowing three runs on three solo home runs. He'll be replaced on the roster by Matt Gage (knee) who was activated from the 15-day injured list.