NL CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs
Left-hander Mike Montgo
mery moved into the rotation to take the spot of right-hander
John Lackey, who was placed on the disabled list because of a strained right shoulder.
Montgomery started Saturday against the Colorado Rockies and allowed one run in 41⁄ innings 3 while throwing 60 pitches. It was his first start for the Cubs after seven relief appearances since being acquired from the Seattle Mariners in a July 20 trade.
“It’s almost like spring training for him right now. Just stretching him out,” manager Joe Maddon said.
The Cubs have an off day Aug. 25 and won’t need a fifth starter again until Aug. 29, the first day Lackey is eligible to be activated.
uLeft- hander Rob Zastryzny and right-hander Felix Pena were called up from Class AAA (Des Moines) Iowa on Friday, and each pitched a scoreless inning of relief that night in their major league debuts. The moves came after right-handed setup relievers
Hector Rondon (strained right triceps) and Joe Smith (strained left hamstring) were placed on the DL, retroactive to Aug. 17.
uInfielder Tommy La Stella
reported to Class AA (Kodak) Tennessee on Aug. 17 after initially refusing to report when he was optioned to Iowa on July 28. He is expected to return to the major leagues in September.
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds haven’t made a decision on left-hander Brandon
Finnegan’s long-term future. Finnegan was one of three young left-handers acquired from the Kansas City Royals last season in the trade for Johnny Cueto. The 23-year-old is 8-9 with a 4.32 ERA in 25 starts this season, including taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning Saturday while beating the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Based on what we have in our system, what we begin the year with next year, will we win more games with him as a starter or a reliever?” manager Bryan Price said. “From my perspective, that hasn’t been answered.”
uUtility player Jose Peraza, who was recalled from Class AAA Louisville on Saturday, is expected to make some starts at shortstop during the season’s final weeks. Zack Cozart figures to be put on the trading block in the offseason in advance of his eligibility for free agency after the 2017 season, and the Reds want to see if Peraza could be ready to step in. uRight- hander Tim Adleman was called up from Louisville on Friday for a spot start and pitched five scoreless innings to beat the Dodgers.
Milwaukee Brewers
Outfielder Domingo Santana returned from the disabled list after missing more than two months because of right elbow soreness, but he did not immediately become a full-time starter.
Santana will get the majority of starts in right field. But the Brewers want to ease him back into action, meaning utility player
Hernan Perez will continue to see playing time in right.
Santana was activated Friday
after being out since June 8. The Brewers were hoping the 24-yearold could be a power source after acquiring him last season from the Houston Astros, but he was hitting .237 with four home runs through his first 41 games this season.
uLeft- hander Brent Suter will be used in a long relief role after making a spot start and losing against the Seattle Mariners on Friday in his major league debut following his promotion from Class AAA Colorado Springs earlier in the day. He became the first lefty starter for the Brewers since Aug. 20, 2013, a span of 474 games. uOutfielder Rymer Liriano,
who suffered a concussion when he was hit in the face by a pitch in an exhibition game March 20, was declared out for the season. He was acquired from the San Diego Padres in an offseason trade.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Switch-hitting rookie Josh Bell was expected to get frequent starts at first base while third baseman Jung Ho Kang recovers from the strained left shoulder that landed him on the disabled list Friday and could keep him out through mid-September.
David Freese, who had been getting the majority of starts at first base recently in place of struggling John Jaso, moved to third base, his natural position. That opens the door for Bell, who spent a week with the Pirates in July but was limited to four pinch-hitting appearances.
Bell, 24, hit .295 with 14 home runs in 114 games at Class AAA Indianapolis. The Pirates gave Bell a $5 million signing bonus, the largest ever to a player not drafted in the first round.
Monday, Freese was signed to a two-year, $11 million contract extension. The deal includes a $6 million club option for 2019 with a $500,000 buyout.
uRookie right-hander Tyler Glasnow ( shoulder) was scheduled to make his second rehab start for Class AA Altoona (Pa.) on Monday. uRookie right-hander Jame-
son Taillon got hit first major league hit Aug. 17 with a single off the San Francisco Giants’ Jeff Samardzija. But he nearly was thrown out at first base by right fielder Hunter Pence.
St. Louis Cardinals
Left fielder Matt Holliday might have played his last game for the Cardinals.
Holliday, who had surgery Aug. 18 to repair a broken right thumb, is in the final season of a seven-year, $120 million contract. The Cardinals hold a $17 million club option for 2017 but might opt to exercise the $1 million buyout.
St. Louis has a number of young outfielders who could be ready to replace the 36-year-old, who is hitting .242 with 19 home runs in 107 games.
Brandon Moss, who is replacing Holliday in left field, is eligible for free agency, but he and general manager John Mozeliak have expressed interest in working out a contract that would keep him with the Cardinals.
uLeft- handed reliever Zach Duke, acquired July 31 from the Chicago White Sox, will take on a greater role in the bullpen after right-hander Seth Maness was found to a have a torn elbow ligament that requires season-ending Tommy John surgery. Maness could be sidelined until 2018. uLeft- handed reliever Kevin Siegrist returned Friday with a scoreless inning vs. the Philadelphia Phillies five days after being removed from a game against the Cubs because of a “dead fish” feeling in his elbow.