Busch went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's wild-card win over the Padres.

Busch gave the Cubs an insurance run with his home run to lead off the seventh inning. It marked the first postseason home run of his career. Busch went 4-for-10 in the three-game series against the Padres.

Locklear will undergo surgeries to repair his left labrum and a torn ligament in his left elbow Oct. 16, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.

Locklear's season ended in early September due to inflammation in his elbow, and now that he's received his diagnosis following a round of imaging, he will officially have to undergo multiple operations. It's unclear how long it will take for the 24-year-old first baseman to recover, but he is expected to return at some point during the 2026 campaign. A more accurate timeline may emerge after he goes under the knife.

Eldridge will undergo surgery to remove a bone spur from his left wrist and is expected to need eight weeks to recover, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Eldridge got a late start to this season after suffering a wrist injury during spring training. It's unclear how much the wrist might have bothered him throughout the 2025 campaign, but he and the Giants have decided it's best to get it surgically corrected now. Eldridge's availability for spring training is not expected to be affected, and the 20-year-old will have a chance to make the Opening Day roster after getting a cup of coffee late this season.

Alonso said after Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Marlins that he plans to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract and become a free agent this offseason, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Alonso signed a two-year, $54 million contract with the Mets in February, which included an opt out after the 2025 season. For the second season in a row, Alonso played in all 162 games for the Mets, batting .272 with 38 home runs, 126 RBI, 87 runs scored and one stolen base. The slugger will now enter free agency with plenty of interested suitors for his talents, though a return to the Mets could remain a possibility.

Eldridge is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.

Eldridge will close out the season with consecutive absences from the lineup as the Giants go with Rafael Devers at designated hitter and Wilmer Flores at first base. Since receiving a call-up from Triple-A Sacramento on Sept. 15, Eldridge has hit just .115 with a 35.3 percent strikeout rate over 34 plate appearances.

Burleson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.

Burleson's streak of 17 consecutive starts comes to an end in Game 162, as he gets the day off in a meaningless contest for the Cardinals. Yohel Pozo will handle first base.

Horwitz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.

Horwitz will take a seat for the Pirates' season finale, giving way to Rafael Flores at first base. Assuming Horwitz doesn't enter off the bench, he'll end the campaign with a .273/.354/.435 slash line, 11 home runs, 51 RBI and 55 runs scored across 410 plate appearances.

Contreras (shoulder) informed incoming Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom during a conversation Friday that he wishes to remain with the team rather than waive his no-trade clause in order to facilitate a deal, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Contreras did hedge a bit, saying he expects the Cardinals to explore the trade market for him this offseason and he would listen if they came to him with a potential deal. However, his preference is to stay put, saying he "would like to be a part of the young team that is going to need to have some of experience around them." Contreras has two years and $36.5 million remaining on his contract, along with a $17.5 million club option (or $5 million buyout) for 2028. The 33-year-old is already done for the 2025 season, having been placed on the 10-day injured list earlier this month with a right shoulder strain.

Hernandez went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Mariners.

Hernandez delivered the decisive hit, a two-run double in the top of the ninth inning, in this game. His playing time has been sporadic this season, though he has now started three straight games while Max Muncy (lower body) has been out of the lineup. Hernandez is up to a .206/.259/.373 slash line with 10 home runs, 35 RBI, 30 runs scored, eight doubles and no stolen bases across 252 plate appearances.

Stewart went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Brewers.

Stewart got the scoring started with an RBI single in the third inning and later added a solo homer in the sixth. The 21-year-old has more than held his own through his first 58 major-league plate appearances, slashing .255/.293/.545 with five home runs, eight RBI and 11 runs scored.