The Chicago Cubs line up as one of the prospective buyers, especially for pitching, as baseball’s July 31 trade deadline approaches. In the meantime, Chicago — which entered Friday at 60-42 and a game behind first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central — is inching closer to having some injured pitchers return.

The Cubs lineup had a bit of a different look Friday, going up against White Sox right-hander Adrian Houser, who is in the midst of the best season of his career. Switch-hitting Vidal Bruján got the start at third base over Matt Shaw, and left-handed hitting Reese McGuire started behind the plate.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Busch has taken another step forward in his development this year, which has included raising his on-base percentage by nearly 40 points.

As the Cubs prepare for Game 1 of the Crosstown Classic Friday against the White Sox at Rate Field, two pitchers are working to rejoin the club. Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon threw 47 pitches during a bullpen session Friday at Wrigley Field,

Assad (oblique) tossed three scoreless innings for the Cubs ' Arizona Complex League affiliate Thursday. He allowed one hit and struck out six.

Iowa Cubs outfielder Owen Caissie was picked to play in the All-Star Futures Game for the second-straight season. News Sports Opinion Business Advertise Obituaries eNewspaper Legals. IOWA CUBS.

The Smokies had a 7-3 lead after five innings, but the Blue Wahoos chipped away against the bullpen to cut the deficit to 7-6 heading to the ninth. A.J. Puckett was summoned from the bullpen to get the save, but he got rocked four four runs on five hits over his inning. All four runs scored after two outs. Puckett did not walk or strike anyone out.

Hodge has been on the shelf since July 9 due to a right shoulder impingement, but he's been cleared to start a rehab assignment. It's unclear how many rehab appearances he'll require, but Hodge should rejoin the Cubs in the near future.

As expected, Chicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa ahead of the series opener against the Kansas City Royals.