MLB Player News

Church is out of the lineup for Tuesday's matchup with the Phillies.

With Philadelphia sending southpaw Cristopher Sanchez to the hill on Tuesday, the left-handed-hitting Church will ride the pine. Everson Pereira will make his first start in center field and bat eighth for the Cardinals.

Manager Blake Butera said Tuesday that Wood (oblique) is not expected to be activated from the injured list when eligible later this week, Danielle Allentuck of The Washington Post reports.

Wood has progressed to fielding drills and throwing from 45 feet, and he's expected to take dry swings with the bat Tuesday. He suffered a strained left oblique Aug. 3 and has missed the Nationals' past six contests. Dylan Crews has been handling right field in Wood's absence.

Baez has slashed .333/.412/.733 with four home runs and three stolen bases over his last 12 contests at Triple-A Memphis.

Baez had been in a rut prior to that, collecting just a .450 OPS across his previous 20 contests, but the slugger looks to have gotten back on track. The 23-year-old has played an even 100 games this season with Memphis, slashing .252/.324/.572 with 33 home runs, 18 stolen bases, and 8.1 percent walk rate and 29.3 percent strikeout rate. Top prospects promoted to the majors around mid-August will retain rookie eligibility in 2027, and the Cardinals might be waiting until that deadline before calling up Baez. St. Louis cleared a path in left field for Baez when it traded Lars Nootbaar earlier this month.

Merrill went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run Monday in a 3-2 win against the Brewers.

Merrill came up big in the seventh inning, belting a two-run shot to center field to turn a one-run deficit into a one-run lead. It was the third straight game with a long ball for the center fielder, and the hit extended his on-base streak to 10 games spanning the entirety of August. Merrill is slashing .359/.390/.744 during that stretch with four homers, nine runs, 13 RBI and two stolen bases. His .712 season OPS remains mildly disappointing, but he's at a much more impressive 1.038 OPS across 24 contests since the All-Star break.

Gilbert went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a second RBI in Monday's 6-3 extra-inning loss to the Astros.

Gilbert ended his 24-game power drought with a homer in the seventh inning. The outfielder had added just three RBI and two extra-base hits in that span. Gilbert is hitting .237 with a .683 OPS, five homers, 24 RBI, 31 runs scored, 10 doubles, three triples and one stolen base over 95 contests. While he's competing for the starting job in center field, his lack of both power and speed will restrict his ability to rack up counting stats.

Lee went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Monday's 6-3 extra-inning loss to the Astros.

Lee started August hot, but he went just 1-for-10 over the weekend's three-game series versus the Tigers. He bounced back in this matchup with a fifth-inning homer, his third of the month and ninth of the year. The outfielder is hitting .300 with a .782 OPS, 46 RBI, 57 runs scored, 26 doubles, four triples and eight stolen bases across 109 contests. Lee's playing style is more about consistent contact rather than power or speed, though he could score more often if his turn atop the lineup Monday turns into an extended stretch in that slot.

The Rockies placed Freeman on the 10-day injured list Monday due to lumbar pain.

Freeman will hit the IL for the second time this season as a result of a back issue. The earliest he can return is Aug. 19, but he'll undergo further tests to determine the severity of the injury before the Rockies have a better feel for when he might be ready for activation. The Rockies recalled infielder Connor Norby from Triple-A Albuquerque in a corresponding move.

Tucker is not in the Dodgers' starting lineup against the Royals on Monday, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Tucker will get an off-day in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak, during which he has gone 9-for-24 with two home runs, three RBI and six runs scored. Tommy Edman will draw the start in left field, shifting Teoscar Hernandez to right while Miguel Rojas gets the nod at the keystone.

Torres is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Phillies.

Jose Fermin will receive the nod in left field while Torres heads to the bench for the series opener. With the Cardinals moving Lars Nootbaar to the Diamondbacks a week ago, Torres has settled in as the team's primary option in left. Torres occupied that spot in the outfield in six of St. Louis' previous seven games, going 3-for-19 with three walks, two runs and one RBI.

Sosa will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Cardinals.

Sosa will pick up his first start in a week, stepping into a spot in the middle infield in place of a resting Trea Turner. The 30-year-old has seen most of his opportunities against left-handed pitching this season, but he'll draw a rare start against a righty (Hunter Dobbins) in the series opener in St. Louis.