MLB Player News

Dylan Carlson replaced him. Nootbaar grabbed at his left oblique are during his seventh-inning at-bat, though he remained in and hit an infield single. After one more inning on defense, he exited at the start of the bottom of the eighth. Oblique issues are always scary, but this seemed like a truly minor one. We’ll see how it responds. If Nootbaar goes on the IL, perhaps Jordan Walker would rejoin the Cardinals. Walker has hit .283/.330/.391 in 23 games since being sent down.

Torres had one of the Tigers’ four sac flies today. He’s hitting .281/.380/.424 this season, and he seems like a strong candidate to make the AL All-Star team after a long absence. He was picked for the Midsummer Classic in each of his first two seasons in 2018 and ’19, but he hasn’t gone to one since.

Skubal wanted to start the first game today, but he might have had some regrets after the beginning of the game was delayed and then wound up starting in the rain anyway. Things did get better as the afternoon went along, and while Skubal didn’t have one of his stronger outings, he was plenty good enough while getting nine runs of support. He’s won eight straight decisions after taking losses in his first two starts this season. He’s due to face the A’s next week.

Heaney got off to a great start this year in spite of some issues with diminished velocity, but he’s been below average since the beginning of May and his peripherals have gotten particularly bad; he has a 30/21 K/BB and he’s given up 10 homers over 51 innings in his last 10 starts. The loss today leaves him 3-6 with a 3.94 ERA. He’s set to face the Brewers next.

The double probably would have been caught by a better center fielder than Billy Cook and certainly should have been a single at worst, but it got past Cook’s dive and cleared the bases. It gave Greene his fourth four-RBI game of the year. He had just three of those total in his previous three seasons.

The 25-year-old infielder has missed each of the team’s last two games due to a groin injury. He’ll be put through a battery of drills before Thursday’s game which will determine whether or not he’ll be available off of the Mets’ bench. Fortunately, it sounds like he has turned a corner in his recovery and will not require a trip to the injured list.

Contreras kicked off the scoring with a first-inning sacrifice fly against White Sox starter Sean Burke before taking lefty reliever Cam Booser deep for a game-tying blast — his 10th round-tripper of the season — in the eighth. The 33-year-old former catcher turned first baseman has graded out as an elite, top-five range backstop for fantasy purposes this season, hitting .249/.338/.421 with 36 runs scored, 10 homers, 48 RBI and three steals through 70 contests.

Vargas has been an unexpected revelation this season for Chicago and fantasy managers alike since making a subtle swing adjustment earlier this season that has translated into immediate on-field results. The 25-year-old infielder is hitting .279 (31-for-111) with seven homers, 16 RBI and two steals over his last 30 games. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper fantasy formats that utilize a corner infield spot.

Helsley got the call to guard a narrow one-run advantage in the front-end of Thursday’s doubleheader at Rate Field and needed just 10 pitches (seven strikes) to mow down the heart of Chicago’s resurgent lineup. It was his first scoreless outing since May 31, snapping a streak of four straight appearances where he allowed at least one run. He’s converted 14 of 19 save opportunities this season to accompany a respectable 3.81 ERA and 31/12 K/BB ratio across 26 innings (26 appearances).

Fedde drew the starting assignment for the opening contest of Thursday’s doubleheader and departed on the hook for a potential loss against his former club after giving up a go-ahead single to Miguel Rojas in the fifth inning. Fortunately, the Cardinals offense wound up rallying in the eighth to spare him. He finished with four strikeouts and only issued a pair of walks. The 32-year-old righty has struggled to miss bats this season, recording just 55 punchouts over 84 innings of work. However, he’s been a decent ratio stabilizer with a respectable 3.54 ERA and 1.30 WHIP through 15 starts. He’ll square off against the Cubs on Tuesday in his next outing.

Burke took the ball for the front end of Thursday’s twin bill at Rate Field and managed to settle in nicely after giving up a sacrifice fly to Willson Contreras in the opening frame. The 25-year-old righty kept the Cardinals scoreless until the sixth inning when reliever Brandon Eisert surrendered a bases-loaded walk, allowing an inherited runner to cross the plate. He finished with a season-high seven strikeouts — one shy of his previous career high mark set last September against the Padres — and only handed out a pair of free passes. He’ll bring a pedestrian 4.50 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 61/35 K/BB ratio across 76 innings (15 appearances, 13 starts) into a tough home matchup on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.