MLB Player News

Vasquez will be available out of the San Diego bullpen beginning Monday against the Nationals, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Vasquez has pitched especially well in his last three starts, going 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA and 0.66 WHIP over 16.2 innings, but with Nick Pivetta (forearm) ready to return to the Padres' rotation, Vasquez will transition to a relief role. Pivetta stretched out to only 64 pitches in his final rehab outing, so it may be a sort of piggyback situation with Vasquez in that rotation spot, at least initially.

Burleson went 3-for-5 with a double, one RBI and one run scored in Sunday's 10-8 win over the Rockies.

Burleson's bat had gone a little cold to start September -- he went 2-for-21 over his first five games of the month before breaking out of the funk Sunday. For the season, the first baseman is hitting .283 with an .809 OPS, 21 home runs, 103 RBI, 79 runs scored, 34 doubles, one triple and four stolen bases. He ranks second in the majors in RBI and is tied for first in doubles.

Gorman went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 10-8 win over the Rockies.

Gorman went 3-for-12 with four RBI during the three-game series in Colorado. The infielder provided a blast as part of the Cardinals' six-run fifth inning, giving them their first lead of the contest. Gorman is batting .186 with a .590 OPS, nine homers, 31 RBI, 22 runs scored, six doubles and no stolen bases over 73 games this season. He is working on the strong side of a platoon at third base, sharing the position with Ramon Urias.

Soriano allowed a hit and struck out one without being charged with a run over one-third of an inning to earn the save in Sunday's 10-8 win over the Rockies.

Ryne Stanek wasn't able to keep things under control in a non-save situation, prompting Soriano to come in for damage control. While a Jake McCarthy single plated two inherited runners, Soriano was able to strike out Troy Johnston to preserve the lead. Soriano is up to three saves this year while adding 21 holds and seven blown saves as part of the Cardinals' setup crew. He's maintained a 4.26 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 62:30 K:BB across 61.1 innings, though he's been charged with 11 runs over his last 13.1 frames.

Pivetta (forearm) will be activated from the 60-day injured list to start Monday's game against the Nationals, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Pivetta has been cleared to take the mound in a big-league game for the first time since April 12 after throwing 4.1 scoreless innings and punching out seven in a rehab start with Triple-A El Paso on Aug. 30. Last month, it looked like Pivetta's season might be over when he removed himself from a minor-league game in the middle of an at-bat, but he has progressed without setbacks since. He built up to 64 pitches in his final rehab outing last Sunday.

Hjerpe (1-0) struck out six over four perfect innings of relief to earn the win over the Rockies on Sunday.

Hjerpe entered the contest in the fourth inning and set down 12 straight Rockies on a total of 54 pitches (41 strikes). Big-league debuts don't get much better than that. Across four levels of the minors this season, Hjerpe posted a 3.00 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 61:32 K:BB over 42 innings as he worked his way back from Tommy John surgery. Hjerpe is poised to serve as a piggyback option as the Cardinals cut Kyle Leahy's innings back down the stretch. The duo could work as a tandem for likely three more turns through the rotation, with the next one tentatively projected to be at home versus the White Sox next weekend.

Leahy allowed five runs on six hits and struck out six without walking a batter over 2.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Rockies on Sunday.

Leahy has seen a planned workload reduction since mid-August, but this was the first time he's had a truly bad outing in a while. Prior to Sunday, he hadn't given up more than two runs in any game since June 17 versus the Padres. Leahy is now at a 3.41 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 124:38 K:BB through 132 innings over 27 starts. The right-hander will be tough to trust in fantasy if he continues to work as a starter, which will reduce his chances to pick up wins in September. His next appearance is projected to be at home versus the White Sox.

Schwarber went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Sunday's 5-4 loss to Atlanta.

Schwarber gave the Phillies a 4-1 lead with a solo blast in the seventh inning. The slugger entered Saturday's contest in an 0-for-14 skid but has now homered in back-to-back games and leads the majors with 42 long balls. In addition to his power, he's slashing .241/.357/.524 with 86 RBI, 85 runs scored and three steals across 614 plate appearances this season.

Acuna went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and four RBI in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Phillies.

Acuna got Atlanta on the board with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning before tying the game on a three-run blast in the eighth. The 28-year-old has now hit safely in four straight contests, collecting 10 hits, three homers and nine RBI in that span. For the season, he's slashing .255/.351/.446 with 16 long balls, 45 RBI, 52 runs scored and 20 steals across 396 plate appearances.

Mahle did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Phillies, allowing two unearned runs on four hits and one walk with three strikeouts over six innings.

Mahle allowed two unearned runs in the first inning but settled in from there, throwing 61 of 94 pitches for strikes with 12 whiffs. The 31-year-old has been stellar since being traded, posting a 1.24 ERA with five quality starts in six outings. Overall, he holds a 4.05 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 124:43 K:BB across 131 innings with Atlanta and San Francisco this season and lines up for a home rematch with the Phillies next weekend.