This page may contain affiliate links. If you click and sign up, make a deposit, or place a wager, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Rea (1-0) allowed one run on two hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch while striking out two over five innings to earn the win over the Rays on Wednesday.
Rea had worked in long relief for his first two outings of the season, allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk over 6.1 innings. The right-hander has started at least 22 games in three straight seasons, so it shouldn't take him long to adjust, though it's unclear if he'll be the Cubs' long-term solution at the back of the rotation. He threw 51 of 79 pitches for strikes in this outing. Rea doesn't have great strikeout rates in his career, though he has a 10:3 K:BB through 11.1 innings so far this season. Assuming he remains in the rotation for another turn, he's tentatively lined up for a tough road start versus the Phillies.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Carson Kelly: Doubles, scores in win
Rotowire
Kelly went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Rays.
Kelly extended his hitting streak to four games with the multi-hit effort, and he's now batting .281 for the season with a .705 OPS. The veteran catcher has appeared in 10 games so far, with Miguel Amaya appearing in seven. Kelly has the slight edge for playing time at the moment, though the Cubs can get both bats in the lineup by having one or the other serve as the DH and relying on Moises Ballesteros to serve as the backup behind the plate.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Hits leadoff home run Wednesday
Rotowire
Hoerner went 3-for-5 with a double, a solo home run, an additional run scored and two total RBI in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Rays.
Hoerner has been hot to start the season, and for the second straight day, the Cubs rewarded the speedy infielder by batting him leadoff. It was also the second straight game that he batted first despite facing a righty starter, bumping Michael Busch down in the order. Hoerner responded Wednesday with a leadoff home run, which was his first long ball of the year. As long as Hoerner stays locked in at the plate, he figures to stick as Chicago's leadoff hitter against both righties and lefties for the foreseeable future.
Cubs' Jostin Florentino: Not ready for game action
Rotowire
High-A South Bend placed Florentino on the Development List on April 2, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reports.
Callis notes that Florentino needs a little more time to build up but should be ready for game action soon. Florentino was the organization's 2025 minor league pitcher of the year, logging a 2.43 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 101:25 K:BB in 81.1 innings as a 20-year-old in rookie ball and Single-A.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Pedro Ramirez: On fire at Triple-A
Rotowire
Ramirez is hitting .300 with three home runs, three steals and a 13.6 percent strikeout rate in 10 games for Triple-A Iowa.
The athletic switch hitter has always made contact at a strong clip and has typically been better than league average while being a little young for his levels, but this is a notable power breakout in the early going. Ramirez hit eight home runs in 129 games last year while logging a 49 percent groundball rate, and while he's hitting for more power this year, his 51.5 percent groundball rate is still too high. The versatile infielder has split time between third base (six starts) and second base (three starts).
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Colin Rea: Entering rotation Wednesday
Rotowire
Rea is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Rays at Tropicana Field.
After making his first two appearances of 2026 out of the bullpen, Rea will move into the rotation spot vacated by Cade Horton (elbow), who is slated to undergo season-ending surgery in the near future. Rea came on in relief of the injured Horton in the latter's final start Friday against the Guardians, striking out four while allowing one earned run on four hits and one walk across 3.1 innings. The right-handed Rea tossed 57 pitches in that appearance and may have a slight restriction with his workload Wednesday as he gets himself stretched back out.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Miguel Amaya: Taking seat Wednesday
Rotowire
Amaya is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.
Moises Ballesteros will enter the starting nine at designated hitter in place of Amaya, who had been included in the lineup as the Cubs' DH or catcher in six of the previous seven games. Amaya has compiled a .929 OPS through 20 plate appearances on the season and should continue to see fairly steady playing time while he's swinging a hot bat.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Ian Happ: Managing bruised heel
Rotowire
Happ is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays due to a bruised left heel, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Though the injury will keep Happ out of the starting nine for a second straight day, manager Craig Counsell said that the 31-year-old outfielder will be available off the bench Wednesday and should rejoin the lineup Friday against the Pirates, per Brian Murphy of MLB.com. Michael Conforto will pick up another start in left field in Happ's stead.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Brandon Birdsell: To miss all of 2026
Rotowire
Birdsell (elbow) will miss the entire 2026 season, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reports.
Birdsell had elbow reconstruction surgery last summer -- he also had Tommy John surgery in high school -- and Callis reports that Birdsell will miss the entire regular season. Perhaps he will get healthy in time to participate in the Arizona Fall League or winter ball.
Cubs' Javier Assad: Steps up with good performance
Rotowire
Assad (1-0) tossed 5.2 scoreless innings to earn the win Tuesday against the Rays, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out three.
Assad got the call to the majors with Matthew Boyd (biceps) and Cade Horton (forearm) landing on the injured list within the past few days, and Assad stepped up with a strong performance for the Cubs. Horton is now set to undergo season-ending surgery on his right UCL, so it's possible that Assad sticks around as Chicago's fourth or fifth starter for the foreseeable future. The righty struggled with injuries of his own last season, but he's mostly been effective for Chicago when he's been on the field since making his MLB debut in 2022. Assad is penciled in to start again Monday against the Phillies on the road, and he's worth a look in fantasy leagues if he can string together a few good outings.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Alex Bregman: Snaps slump with three-hit game
Rotowire
Bregman went 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's 9-2 win over the Rays.
Bregman snapped an 0-for-12 slump across his last three games with his first three-hit effort in a Cubs uniform. The veteran third baseman has yet to really get going for his new team, as he's batting just .200 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored through 11 games. Bregman's MLB track record suggests he'll heat up at the plate, and fantasy managers should remain patient, as he's in no real danger of losing playing time.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Nico Hoerner: Steals another base Tuesday
Rotowire
Hoerner went 2-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and two RBI in Tuesday's 9-2 win over the Rays.
Hoerner has gotten off to a nice start with a .297/.438/.432 slash line through 11 games. The infielder also has already swiped five bases without getting caught. Despite facing a righty starter in Mason Englert on Tuesday, Hoerner batted leadoff, with Michael Busch slotting in second. Busch has gotten off to a slow start, so the Cubs may elect to keep Hoerner atop the order against both righties and lefties while he's performing so well.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Moises Ballesteros: Records first home run in win
Rotowire
Ballesteros went 2-for-4 with a home run, an additional run scored and three total RBI in Tuesday's 9-2 win over the Rays.
Ballesteros got on the board with his first home run of the season when he took Yoendrys Gomez deep in the ninth inning to put the icing on the cake in an easy Chicago win. The 23-year-old has seen his playing time begin to decrease as he's been in a slump with just a .208 average and .592 OPS even after Tuesday's promising performance. Ballesteros has plenty of offensive upside, and while the Cubs will likely continue to rotate players into the DH spot, the youngster should still see his fair share of opportunities, particularly if he can get on a hot streak.
Crow-Armstrong went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a stolen base and three total runs scored in Tuesday's 9-2 win over the Rays.
After smacking 31 home runs during the regular season last year, Crow-Armstrong had yet to find his power stroke before Tuesday, but he's now on the board with his first long ball of 2026. The talented outfielder also recorded his fourth stolen base through 11 games. Crow-Armstrong had a 30-30 campaign in 2025, and his ability to both hit the ball over the wall and swipe a base gives him a ton of upside from a fantasy perspective moving forward, especially if he goes on a power surge in the near future.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Cade Horton: Set for season-ending UCL surgery
Rotowire
Horton will undergo season-ending surgery on his right UCL, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Horton had to be lifted from his last outing with a right forearm strain, and subsequent testing revealed the need to have his UCL repaired. Whether he needs a full Tommy John repair or a less invasive internal brace surgery won't be known until the operation is performed. Even if it's the latter, Horton will be shelved for all of 2026 and likely the beginning of the 2027 campaign, as well.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Ian Happ: First day off Tuesday
Rotowire
Happ is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game in Tampa Bay.
It's the first day off this season for Happ, who is hitting just .200 but with four home runs across his first 45 plate appearances. The Cubs will roll out Michael Conforto in left field Tuesday against the Rays.
0:22
0:55
10:26
1:20
1:27
1:04
0:29
0:51
1:06
9:27
1:14
1:00
1:09
1:38
0:32
1:06
1:22
10:43
1:41
1:01
