MLB Player News

De La Cruz went 3-for-6 with two home runs, five RBI, one stolen base and three runs scored in Tuesday's 12-6 win over the Rays.

De La Cruz's fingerprints were all over this offensive outburst for Cincinnati. Batting right-handed, he smacked a two-run homer off Steven Matz in the first inning. De La Cruz stole his sixth bag of the season in the sixth and later took position player Ben Williamson deep from the left side of the plate in the ninth. De La Cruz hit five homers off left-handed pitching all of last season and has already matched that total in 2026. The 24-year-old is slashing .276/.343/.571 with eight home runs, 18 RBI, 21 runs scored, six stolen bases and a 10:31 BB:K across 108 plate appearances.

Mlodzinski (1-1) took the loss against the Rangers on Tuesday, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six across 4.1 innings.

Mlodzinski worked in a long-relief role in his previous outing behind opener Mason Montgomery, but Mlodzinski was on the mound from the get-go in Tuesday's contest. He appeared to settle in after giving up two runs in the second inning, but Mlodzinski was unable to escape the fifth, giving up three runs in the frame while recording just one out. It was the first time this season that he gave up more than two runs in a game, and through five outings this season, he sits at a 3.28 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 26:10 K:BB across 24.2 innings. Mlodzinski will look to bounce back in his next start, which is tentatively slated for this weekend on the road against the Brewers.

Burns (2-1) picked up the win Tuesday against the Rays, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts across 5.2 innings.

Burns had his elite stuff working Tuesday, as he cruised through five relatively easy innings before the Tampa Bay lineup turned over for a third time in the bottom of the sixth inning when Jonathan Aranda tagged Burns for a two-run homer. The 23-year-old Burns has struggled a bit with his command at times this season, but there's no denying his swing-and-miss upside. Through five starts, Burns has a 2.57 ERA and 30:11 K:BB across 28 innings. His next start should come at home against the Rockies next week.

Thielbar retired the last two batters in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Phillies to record the save.

The Cubs started the ninth with a 7-3 lead and deployed Jacob Webb, but he allowed two hits and only recorded one out. That's when Chicago turned to Thielbar to put out the fire with two runners on. The veteran lefty calmly got the job done on just six pitches, and he now has two saves and a win over the last three days. Thielbar is serving as the team's top option for saves with regular closer Daniel Palencia (oblique) on the injured list, and he's performed well in the role.

Happ went 1-for-4 with two walks, a stolen base and two runs scored in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Phillies.

Happ reached three times in the win and also mustered his first stolen base of the season in his first attempt. The veteran outfielder doesn't run like he used to, as he only had six steals during the 2025 regular season following 13 swipes in 2024 and 14 in 2023. Happ might not possess the same wheels he used to have, but he's still effective at getting on base, and he's delivered at least 20 home runs in each of the last three years as well. The 31-year-old has also played in at least 150 games for four straight seasons.

Alvarado was removed from Tuesday's game against the Cubs with mid-back spasms, Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic reports.

Alvarado gave up one earned run on two hits and a walk in one-third of an inning before his back forced him to come out of the game. It's unknown if he will have to spend time on the IL, though the Phillies could sit him down for a few days as a precaution, regardless of the severity of his injury.

Hoerner went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Phillies.

Hoerner continued his surprising power surge, as he now has four home runs this season through 23 contests, including three in his last six games. The 28-year-old had only seven long balls in each of the last two regular seasons, and he came into this year with just 36 career long balls across seven MLB campaigns. Hoerner is known mostly for his speed, but his power has been a pleasant bonus, and he's batting a scintillating .326 in the early going. The infielder's strong start has locked him into the leadoff spot for the Cubs.

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

After a routine day off Monday following seven straight starts, Suzuki returned to the lineup Tuesday and launched his first home run of the season. The outfielder has only played in 11 games so far due to a knee issue that kept him on the injured list to begin the year, but he seems to be rounding into form. Suzuki blasted 32 home runs during the 2025 regular season and posted an .804 OPS, and he should continue to trend upward as he settles in at the plate.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell confirmed Tuesday that Hodge (elbow) underwent UCL reconstruction surgery with an internal brace, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Though Hodge didn't require a traditional Tommy John surgery to address the right elbow flexor strain he sustained in spring training, Counsell estimated that the 25-year-old will face an expected recovery timeline of 12-to-14 months. With that in mind, Hodge would seem likely to open the 2027 season on the Cubs' injured list, if Chicago elects to tender him a contract over the winter. Hodge showed plenty of promise in his 2024 rookie campaign with a 1.88 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in 43 innings, but he fell off badly in 2025 (6.27 ERA, 1.58 WHIP in 33 frames) and finished the season in the minors before going down with the elbow injury in the spring.

Horwitz was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rangers due to neck discomfort.

Horwitz will take a seat to give his neck a chance to recover and can be considered day-to-day for now. Ryan O'Hearn will move to first base to cover for Horwitz, opening up right field for Jake Mangum.