New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo (undisclosed) is back in left field and is batting leadoff for Game 1 of a doubleheader on Wednesday against the visiting Los Angeles Angels and right-hander Davis Daniel. The Yankees held Verdugo out of the lineup on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays because he was banged up, but he's back in action on Wednesday in a great matchup. The 28-year-old left-handed hitter is still looking for his first hit in August and has gone 12-for-55 (.218) with no homers, five doubles, four RBI, six walks and 12 strikeouts in 14 games played since the All-Star break. While Verdugo has been pretty inconsistent in the Bronx, he's been much better against righties, batting .240 (72-for-300) against them with eight of his 10 home runs on the year.

Following the All-Star Break, Chicago Cubs first base prospect Jonathon Long was promoted to Double-A Tennessee. Since then, he's been one of the best hitters in Minor League Baseball, slashing .500/.574/.750 with six doubles, two home runs, 13 RBI, and 10:7 BB/SO through 14 games. To start the month of August, he's gone 13-for-20 with a 1.480 OPS. Overall, the Cubs' ninth-round draft pick in 2023 has a .883 OPS through his first 452 professional plate appearances.

New York Yankees catcher/first base prospect Rafael Flores was promoted to Double-A Somerset at the end of June. Though he struggled initially, slashing .197/.303/.379 with six extra-base hits, six RBI, and 9:24 BB/SO through his first 17 games, he has played exceptionally well since the All-Star Break. Over his last 16 games, Flores is slashing .312/.382/.607 with eight extra-base hits, 12 RBI, and 7:18 BB/SO. In 90 total games between High-A and Double-A, Flores has a .854 OPS, 23 doubles, 14 home runs, 53 RBI, and 54:97 BB/SO. The Yankees' No. 25 prospect (per MLB.com), he's expected to make his MLB debut sometime next year.

Chicago Cubs right-handed reliever Adbert Alzolay (elbow) is set to undergo Tommy John surgery, according to manager Craig Counsell. There was a good chance we weren't going to see Alzolay again this season, and now it's confirmed. And on top of missing the rest of 2024, the 29-year-old is unlikely to pitch for most, if not all, of the 2025 campaign after having elbow reconstruction. The Venezuelan hurler opened the year as Chicago's closer but only ended up pitching 17 1/3 innings over 18 appearances out of the bullpen before going down with his elbow injury. In his 17 1/3 frames, he allowed 13 runs (nine earned) on 19 hits (six homers) while walking six, striking out 13 and securing four saves for the Cubbies. Veteran right-hander Hector Neris has since taken over the closing duties in Chicago.

Texas Rangers outfielder Leody Taveras is on the bench again on Wednesday against the visiting division-rival Houston Astros. It will be the second straight game that Taveras will open the game riding the pine. Rookie Wyatt Langford is starting in center field and is batting fifth, while Josh Smith is playing left field and batting leadoff for the Rangers against Astros left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. The 25-year-old Taveras has displayed some modest power/speed numbers this year with nine home runs and 12 stolen bases in 107 games played, but he's batting just .227 (78-for-344) with a career-low .647 OPS in his fifth year in Texas. Since the All-Star break, the switch-hitting outfielder has hit .214 (9-for-42) with three home runs, a double, a triple, seven RBI, a stolen base and 10 strikeouts in 16 games played.