MLB Player News

Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said Wednesday that Goldschmidt is dealing with right elbow soreness and will be out of the Grapefruit League lineup for at least "a couple of days," Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The Cardinals haven't yet indicated that Goldschmidt's injury is anything overly worrisome, but it's somewhat disconcerting that he's dealing with the same issue that already limited him earlier in camp. The first baseman will presumably be re-examined prior to the weekend before the Cardinals provide more clarity on his situation.

Freeman was a late scratch from Tuesday's lineup for what the team said was a family matter, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Ryan Casteel was inserted into the lineup batting third and playing first base. Freeman is expected to return to Wednesday's lineup against the Twins after attending to his family. The 30-year-old is likely to take a cautious approach during the rest of spring training after dealing with right elbow inflammation earlier this week.

Raley was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

Raley got off to a hot start at the dish in spring games, but it wasn't enough to earn him a spot on the big-league roster to open the 2020 campaign. He'll begin the season at Triple-A, where he hit .302 with seven homers, 21 RBI and four stolen bases in 33 contests a year ago.

Arias was returned to minor-league camp Sunday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Arias went 4-for-13 with three walks in Cactus League play, but he'll return to the minors to get more seasoning. The 20-year-old will likely open the season at the Double-A level after hitting .302 with 17 home runs with High-A Lake Elsinore last season.

Rizzo is batting just .176 with no home runs through his first 17 Cactus League at-bats.

Rizzo is no stranger to slow starts, as the career .273 hitter has just a .241 mark in March and April. Fantasy owners will need to be patient with the slugger, but when everything is said and done, he will likely post a strong average and approach 30 home runs and 100 RBI once again assuming he stays healthy.

Rizzo (finger) is starting at first base and hitting second Saturday against the Reds.

He was scratched from Thursday's lineup due to a blister, but it was clearly a minor issue.

Hiura hit his third home run of the exhibition season in Friday's spring game against the Giants.

Hiura has picked up right where he left off last season, going 6-for-16 (.375) with three homers, a double, and five RBI over seven games this spring. He has struck out just four times in 17 plate appearances, which -- albeit over a small sample size -- is a lower rate than the 30.7 percent of the time he was punched out in his first big-league campaign. Cutting the strikeouts will be key for Hiura moving forward, and if he is able to do so he could become an even more dangerous hitter than he already is.

Montero was optioned to Double-A Springfield on Saturday.

The 21-year-old third baseman hit .188 with a 31.1 percent strikeout rate in 59 games at Double-A last year, and he will look to master the level this season. He dealt with multiple wrist injuries last season, which contributed to his struggles.

Naylor (neck) is back in the lineup Friday against Texas.

Naylor missed a few days after feeling tightness in his neck, but he's been cleared to both bat and play left field. The 22-year-old has gone 2-for-7 with a walk this spring as he looks to carve out a role in a crowded outfield.

Shaw was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Friday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old joined the Giants for the closing stretch last season but went 1-for-18 over 16 games. Shaw had a .298/.355/.592 slash line at Sacramento last year and will look to replicate those numbers in 2020.