Baseball Wiretap

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo went to bat for Ketel Marte on Tuesday, saying any idea that the star second baseman is fracturing the Arizona clubhouse "couldn't be further from the truth."

Lovullo's comments came in the wake of a USA Today report over the weekend that Marte is again frustrating some members of the organization by taking days off.

But Lovullo said that was untrue.

The Chicago Cubs are expected to be without starter Jameson Taillon until after the All-Star break due to a strained left hamstring.

The right-hander exited Sunday's game against San Francisco in the second inning. He was placed on the 15-day injury list Tuesday before opening a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies.

The White Sox called up outfielder Braden Montgomery, their top hitting prospect, prior to Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves.

Montgomery is in the starting lineup, playing right field, and will hit sixth against the Braves as he becomes the 12th player to make his MLB debut for Chicago this season.

Outfield prospect Luis Lara and the Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to a seven-year, $31 million contract extension that includes three club options, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Tuesday.

The deal for the 21-year-old Lara, who has dominated at Triple-A Nashville this season, maxes out at $79 million, sources told ESPN.

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal pitched five scoreless innings Sunday in the two-time Cy Young Award winner's first minor league rehabilitation appearance since undergoing elbow surgery last month.

Skubal struck out six and allowed two hits for High-A West Michigan against Dayton. Forty-four of his 54 pitches were strikes, with his fastball reaching 98 mph.

"Velocity was good," Skubal told reporters. "Execution was good. I feel like I threw a ton of strikes. I was in the zone a lot today. Good day."

Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman put the blame for his team's offensive woes squarely on himself after going 0-for-5 and making the last out in his team's 2-1 loss in 10 innings to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday night.

"I've been terrible," Bregman said. "I need to play better. Offensively, it's been awful. I've failed many times in this game. I've struggled. I've started slow before. I've started fast before. When you're struggling, there is only one way forward and that's straight, head-on through it. It comes down to executing in the game."

Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow was transferred to the 60-day injured list Saturday, another sign that his balky back is hindering his rehab progression.

The 32-year-old right-hander has been out since May 8, two days after a back spasm surfaced. Initially, the team expected him to miss a short period of time.

Instead, Glasnow was shut down and manager Dave Roberts said the pitcher still hasn't been cleared to resume a throwing program.

The Cincinnati Reds have moved up their timetable for right-hander Hunter Greene's return, with the team hopeful that their ace can be back on the mound before the All-Star break in July.

Greene, who was the Reds' Opening Day starter in 2023 and 2025, had bone chips removed on March 11. Cincinnati expected him to be sidelined 14 to 16 weeks.

He is scheduled to throw live batting practice Monday, manager Terry Francona told reporters Saturday, and he could soon start a minor league rehab assignment to build up his arm strength.

Right-hander Joel Kuhnel was acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Athletics for cash on Saturday after Brian Fitzpatrick became their eighth pitcher on the injured list.

Fitzpatrick was placed on the 15-day injured list after he hurt his left elbow Friday following one warmup pitch in the seventh inning against Colorado Rockies.

"He's got a strain of the UCL," manager Pat Murphy said of Fitzpatrick. "We're going to get another opinion on it to see if we're just going to rehab or if he has to get another Tommy John. We want to get our doctor's hands on him. Rehab it right now."

Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski threw a 103.7 mph pitch Saturday night against the Colorado Rockies, the fastest by a starter since tracking began in 2008.

The 24-year-old right-hander's record-setting pitch was low and outside to Kyle Karros in the third inning.

"It's one of those things: It is what it is," Misiorowski said. "I'm going to keep going, trying to get strikeouts, and if that's what it takes to get strikeouts, then so be it."