MLB Player News

Williams elected to become a free agent Wednesday, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Williams refused an outright assignment after being removed from Atlanta's 40-man roster. He could wind up returning on a minor-league contract, but for now, the utility player is free to sign anywhere.

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

Ballesteros had served as the Cubs' designated hitter in six of the past seven games but will be riding pine Wednesday while the Phillies send a tough lefty (Jesus Luzardo) to the hill. Seiya Suzuki will get a day off from playing the outfield and will draw the start at DH in the series finale.

Kelly is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

Miguel Amaya will step in behind the plate for Kelly, who will be rested after making starts each of the past three days. Kelly is off to a scorching start to April, having recorded a hit in each of his starts while slashing .364/.488/.545 in 10 games overall.

The Rockies placed Freeland on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to left shoulder inflammation.

Freeland technically drew a start in Sunday's game against the Padres, but the injury resulted in him being scratched without throwing a pitch in that outing. After a few days of rest, Freeland didn't bounce back well enough to avoid the IL. The veteran left-hander will be eligible to rejoin the Colorado rotation before the end of this month, though it's unclear whether he will be cleared to start by that date.

The Rockies activated Quintana (hamstring) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

Quintana will start Wednesday's contest at Houston in what will be his second appearance in a Rockies uniform. The veteran left-hander did not make any rehab appearances, so it's unclear what kind of workload he will be prepared for Wednesday. Quintana missed the last two-plus weeks with a strained hamstring, which he sustained during his season debut March 29 in Miami while giving up two earned runs over 4.1 innings.

The Astros placed Bolton on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with mid-back inflammation, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Bolton was lifted from his previous start Sunday against the Mariners with a back issue that had lingered since his previous outing. The injury doesn't seem to be a long-term issue, but the loss of Bolton for any period of time represents yet another blow to the Astros' rotation depth.

Vivas will start at second base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Vivas will stick in the lineup for a fourth straight game, this time shifting over to the keystone after manning third base in each of the previous three contests. While the left-handed hitter's playing time against left-handed pitching is likely to remain limited, he might have earned himself more frequent opportunities versus righties after getting on base at a .406 clip in 33 plate appearances against them so far in 2026.

The Astros recalled Arrighetti from Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Arrighetti is set to start Wednesday's game at home against the Rockies in what will be his first start with the big club this season. The right-hander had been in a groove with Sugar Land, authoring a 1.26 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 20:6 K:BB over 14.1 innings in his first three starts. The Houston rotation has been decimated by injuries, providing Arrighetti with an opportunity to stick around indefinitely.

Nunez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Jorbit Vivas will fill in at second base for Nunez, who will head to the bench after a stretch of four consecutive starts. Nunez is batting just .212 with one extra-base hit over 58 plate appearances this year, but he's provided value for fantasy managers who have rostered him primarily for his speed (seven steals in eight attempts).

Ramirez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Atlanta.

Ramirez will be getting just his second day off of the season, as he's been busy between catching and designated-hitter duties. Liam Hicks will start behind the plate and bat cleanup for the Marlins on Wednesday.