MLB Player News

Wetherholt will make his MLB debut on Thursday and get things going for the Cardinals right away from the top of the lineup. The 23-year-old hit 306/.421/.510 with 17 homers and 23 steals in 109 games in the upper minors last season. He did hit only .212/.386/.394 in spring training, so expect a little bit of an adjustment period, but his understanding of the strike zone looked MLB-ready, so he will likely figure things out as long as St. Louis keeps him in the lineup. The rest of the Cardinals’ lineup is: JJ Wetherholt 2B, Ivan Herrera DH, Alec Burleson 1B, Masyn Winn SS, Nolan Gorman 3B, Jordan Walker RF, Nathan Church LF, Pedro Pages C, and Victor Scott CF.

Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters McCullers has been pitching through the shoulder issue for a few starts but didn’t bounce back as hoped this week following his latest outing. He’ll return to Houston to undergo further evaluation and testing to determine the severity of the issue and his next steps. It certainly sounds like he’s headed to the injured list. It’ll be Jason Alexander taking the ball to open a bullpen game on Tuesday against the Twins.

Langford will need to pass some forearm testing before he’s given clearance to resume hitting later this week. The 24-year-old fantasy standout has been on the shelf recovering from a right forearm strain since April 22. There should be a definitive return timetable once he starts ramping up baseball activities again.

Foscue will get a chance to hit near the top of Texas’ lineup, with Andrew McCutchen leading off and Evan Carter being dropped to ninth in the batting order, against lefty opener Sammy Peralta after homering twice in 10 games since being called back up to the majors on May 5.

Stanton has been given the green light to hit and go through plyometric exercises, but hasn’t received the go-ahead to resume running, which is the biggest hurdle to making it back to New York’s lineup. The 36-year-old slugger is a couple weeks away at this juncture.

Gore told reporters he feels fine but will undergo imaging to rule out anything structural after making a precautionary exit from Monday’s start against the Rockies with left lat tightness. All signs point to Gore making his next start against the Angels on Sunday.

Winn will undergo imaging to determine whether he’s dealing with any structural damage since he’s still dealing with some left knee discomfort that popped up over the weekend. There’s obviously some concern that he’ll require a trip to the injured list. There should be an update on his status in the coming days.

Crawford was in the lineup for Monday’s series opener against Chicago after suffering a triceps contusion when he was hit by a pitch over the weekend. He’ll get some extra rest in this one with Colt Emerson making his first start at shortstop. The big question is what happens to his playing time once Brendan Donovan (groin) is back from the injured list now that Emerson has ascended to the majors. the 31-year-old impending free agent figures to cede some playing time to the top prospect over the final few months of the year.

Rafaela gets the nod in a prominent spot in Boston’s lineup after hitting .320 (16-for-50) with three homers and three steals over his last 15 games. The 25-year-old center fielder sat out Monday’s series opener but he’s back in there to face Royals lefty Bailey Falter on Tuesday night.

Clement is dealing with strep throat, so it’s probably for the best if he practices some social isolation to prevent it from spreading around Toronto’s clubhouse. The 30-year-old infielder is available off the bench, if needed, with Davis Schneider getting into the lineup at second base in his place.

Garcia returns for another stint with Arizona as emergency catching depth with veteran backstop James McCann hitting the injured list with a quad strain. The 33-year-old journeyman got into three games for the Diamondbacks earlier this season while Gabriel Moreno was on the shelf.