MLB Player News

Hill went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 10-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Hill has gone 5-for-20 (.250) with a homer and three RBI over the first five games of the Giants' last road trip of the year. The outfielder has struggled to adjust in his first taste of the majors, batting .239 with a .673 OPS across 29 contests. He's added a home run, 15 RBI, 12 runs scored, six doubles and two steals through 110 plate appearances.

Bericoto went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double, a walk and two total runs scored in Saturday's 10-4 loss to the Dodgers.

This was Bericoto's second game and first start back in the lineup after a nearly month-long absence due to a knee injury. The outfielder served as the designated hitter and got both of his hits off Tarik Skubal. Bericoto is batting .253 with a .731 OPS, five homers, 14 RBI, nine runs scored, four doubles and one stolen base over 35 games in the majors. He'll compete for a short-side platoon role to close out the campaign.

Marte (0-1) allowed six runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out two over 4.2 innings to take the loss versus the Dodgers on Saturday.

Four of the eight hits Marte allowed went for extra bases, compounding his troubles in a poor start. This was his return to the rotation after last appearing out of the bullpen Sept. 11 with five scoreless innings against the Padres. Over 19.1 frames this year, Marte has a 4.66 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 11:9 K:BB across four games (two starts). With Logan Webb (finger) shut down for the year, there's room for Marte to draw another start in a rematch versus the Dodgers at home in the final series of the season.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that there's a "good chance" Ohtani (knee/biceps) will be activated from the 15-day injured list during next week's series against the Padres, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani ran the bases on the field prior to Saturday's game and also advanced to taking simulated at-bats against the team's Trajekt machine. The Dodgers are seemingly pleased with Ohtani's progress, enough so that he's penciled in to return during the homestand. If Ohtani is activated Wednesday when first eligible, he could make starts at designated hitter in as many as five games before the end of the regular season. Both Ohtani and Roberts have seemingly ruled out the possibility of the two-way player pitching at any point during the postseason, however.

Swanson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Reds.

Playing in his second game back since returning from the injured list, Swanson popped his 19th home run of the season in the ninth inning. The shortstop missed about a month with an oblique strain, though he still has time to record his second straight 20-homer campaign and fifth of his MLB career. While the Cubs figure to ease Swanson back into action to a degree, he should still play frequently during the last week of the regular season with the team fighting for a playoff spot.

Smith went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a second RBI and two total runs scored in Saturday's 10-4 win over the Giants.

Smith has homered in consecutive contests. He went yard in the third inning Saturday and then added an RBI single in the sixth. The catcher had gone 14 games without a multi-RBI game coming into the contest, batting .211 (8-for-38) in that span. For the season, he's hitting .249 with a .756 OPS, nine homers, 33 RBI, 33 runs scored, no stolen bases and nine doubles across 68 contests.

Betts went 4-for-4 with three doubles, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 10-4 win over the Giants.

Betts continues to swing a hot bat with three straight multi-hit efforts. He's batting .397 (25-for-63) with six home runs and seven doubles over 16 contests in September. The surge has him up to a .261 average and .785 OPS through 116 contests this season, and he's added 22 homers, 23 doubles, 67 RBI, 68 runs scored and two stolen bases.

Busch went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Reds.

Busch hit his second home run in the last seven games during the sixth inning, which gives him 20 long balls for the season. The slugging first baseman now has three straight 20-homer campaigns, though he's taken a step back from 2025, when he launched 34 long balls during the regular season. Busch should continue to see ample playing time down the stretch as the Cubs battle for playoff positioning.

Skubal (11-7) allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out three over five innings to earn the win over the Giants on Saturday.

Skubal wasn't at his sharpest this time out, but he still managed to earn a third straight win thanks to the Dodgers offense. This was the first time since June 24 that Skubal gave up more than three runs. Over that 14-start span (87 innings), he maintained a 2.28 ERA, even better than his 2.85 mark for the year. The ace southpaw has added a 0.99 WHIP and 176:27 K:BB through 151.2 innings over 25 starts this year. He's tentatively lined up for a road rematch in San Francisco next weekend to conclude his regular season.

Eldridge (head) is in concussion protocol and won't play Sunday against the Dodgers, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The rookie first baseman/DH reportedly bumped his head at the team hotel, resulting in a laceration and evidently concussion symptoms. He will need to clear protocol in order to play again this year. Eldridge has been a bright spot in a mostly gloomy season for San Francisco, hitting 17 homers with an .825 OPS across 448 plate appearances.