Feinsand: Cardinals could trade Iván Herrera

Basabe returns to the majors for the first time since appearing in 22 games for the Rays back in 2023. He grabs a spot on San Francisco’s bench with Casey Schmitt hitting the injured list with a left knee meniscus tear. The 25-year-old infielder has hit .268/.344/.388 with five homers and 12 steals in 311 plate appearances for Triple-A Sacramento this season. He’s merely an emergency bench option at this stage of his development.

No word yet regarding how much time Schmitt will miss, but he’s likely facing an extended absence. It’s an unfortunate development for the Giants, and fantasy managers, as Schmitt’s breakout campaign comes to a screeching halt. He hits the shelf after batting .271/.301/.483 with a career-high 21 homers, 55 RBI and nine steals in 409 plate appearances, delivering top-10 caliber fantasy production at both second and third base this season. The 27-year-old suffered the injury while pulling up awkwardly after rounding first base during Monday’s game at Oracle Park. There should be a definitive return timeline at some point soon.

Haase bolsters Chicago’s catching situation behind youngsters Drew Romo and Edgar Quero while Kyle Teel (ankle) is on the injured list. The 33-year-old veteran was cut loose by the Giants last weekend after hitting .162 (12-for-74) across 33 games this season.

Strzelecki fortifies St. Louis’ bullpen mix leading into Tuesday’s game against the division-rival Cubs at Busch Stadium. The 31-year-old was up briefly with the Brewers earlier this season, but didn’t end up getting into a game. He’s posted a serviceable 3.44 ERA across 83 2/3 innings in the big leagues since 2022.

It’s perplexing why the Cardinals don’t just stick Dobbins in the rotation and leave him there. The 26-year-old allowed four runs over 5 1/3 innings during a bulk relief outing on Monday after shutting out the Angels for six frames last week in a traditional start. The move allows St. Louis to bring up some relief help since Dobbins wouldn’t have been available to pitch again until later this week. He’ll probably return at some point after the trade deadline.

Varland gets the call to replace lefty Andrew Albers in Washington’s relief mix prior to Tuesday’s contest against Toronto. The 29-year-old has compiled an underwhelming 6.25 ERA across 31 2/3 innings in the big leagues this season.

It’s a bit unclear how much time Bauers is going to miss, but he’s headed to the injured list after fouling a ball off his toe during Monday’s series opener in San Francisco. He’ll undergo follow-up imaging to determine his potential return timeline. However, fantasy managers should brace for a multi-week absence, even in a best-case scenario. His departure from Milwaukee’s right field mix puts even more pressure on top prospect Luis Lara to perform until Sal Frelick (shoulder) is back from the injured list in a few weeks.

There was some optimism that Snell would return to the majors this week, but that’s not happening. The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reports Snell will aim for four innings during this next rehab outing. The 33-year-old southpaw has been out since undergoing elbow surgery back in May. He remains without a definitive return timeline and trying to anticipate his next steps is challenging given his injury history and the lack of urgency from Los Angeles to bring him back.

It’s the worst-case scenario outcome for Mead after he was drilled by a pitch during the second at-bat of his Red Sox debut against the Athletics on Monday night. The 25-year-old infielder was acquired from the Nationals for lefty Connelly Early last week and is already facing an extended absence. There’s a strong possibility his season is over given the severity of the injury. Cassell adds that Nick Sogard is coming up from Triple-A Worcester to take Mead’s roster spot. It’ll be Caleb Durbin handling third base with Anthony Seigler moving back into a starting role at the keystone.

Frelick is expected to be ready to return at some point in early-to-mid August. Milwaukee top prospect Luis Lara will continue playing regularly in his absence for the next couple weeks. Frelick hit the injured list with a right shoulder strain that had been bothering him for a while back on July 18.