>>LaStella Back With Cubs As Rosters Expand
The Chicago Cubs have recalled infielder Tommy La Stella from Triple-A Iowa and optioned reliever Spencer Patton to their top farm club.
La Stella was sent down on July 29, but refused to report to the minors. After weeks of dialogue between the New Jersey native and the team, La Stella joined Double-A Tennessee in mid-August.
The 27-year-old La Stella got the start at second for the series finale against Pittsburgh on Wednesday night. He is batting .295 with two homers and eight RBIs in 51 games with major league-leading Chicago.
Patton is 1-1 with a 4.67 ERA in 12 appearances with the Cubs this season.
La Stella was acquired in a November 2014 trade with Atlanta.
>>Mets' 2B Walker Likely Out Remainder of 2016 Season
The Mets had been holding out hope that the disc issue in Neil Walker's back wasn't too serious, but instead it appears it will end his season. Manager Terry Collins told reporters after their win on Wednesday that Walker will "probably" have surgery to fix the issue (Marc Carig). Doing so would end Walker's 2016 season.
Walker's contract is up after this season, so he's soon to be on the open market. He'll turn 31 this September and is coming off back surgery by the time free agency hits. On the plus side, he's been a productive offensive player pretty much throughout his career. He's a .273/.339/.436 hitter with six 24-plus doubles seasons. Oddly, the doubles dropped to nine this season, but he matched a career high with 23 home runs. His .282/.347/.476 line was good for the best OPS of his career as well.
Wilmer Flores and Kelly Johnson are expected to fill in at second base.
Flores homered while Johnson came through with the big knock in the Mets' 5-2 win over the Marlins on Wednesday.
Flores is slashing .267/.320/.469 while Johnson is at .254/.316/.406.
The Mets have now won nine of their last 11 and have just completed their first winning month (15-14) since going 15-7 in April. They trail the Cardinals by only 1 1/2 games for the second wild-card spot, thanks to the Cardinals' loss in Milwaukee.
