MLB Player News

Donovan's path toward consistent playing time is in question since the Cardinals plan to select the contract of Nolan Gorman on Friday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Donovan drew starts in nine of the last 10 matchups and saw playing time at second base, third base and shortstop. He's hitting .316 with a homer, nine runs, five RBI and a stolen base in the majors, but Gorman will likely see plenty of playing time at second base while Tommy Edman shifts to shortstop. Since Donovan has performed well, it's possible he splits playing time in left field with Corey Dickerson and Juan Yepez since Tyler O'Neill (shoulder) is heading to the 10-day injured list.

Gorman will have his contract selected by the Cardinals and will start at second base Friday against the Pirates, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

St. Louis hesitated to promote Gorman when Paul DeJong was sent to the minors last week, but the 22-year-old has now been called up for his first stint in the majors. He's one of the Cardinals' top prospects and has cruised at Triple-A Memphis this season with a .308/.367/.677 slash line and 15 homers in 34 games. A decent showing early on and Gorman figures to be in the majors to stay. Tommy Edman, who has been the team's primary second baseman early this season, will now make the transition to shortstop.

Hoerner (ankle) has been cleared to resume baseball activities and is building up in his running progression, but he's without a clear timeline to return from the 10-day injured list, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

The fact that Hoerner hasn't been shut down from baseball activities since landing on the IL last weekend bodes well for his chances of avoiding an extended absence, but the Cubs may want to see him put in a few more workouts before mapping out a minor-league rehab assignment. Fellow middle infielder Nick Madrigal (back) is also on the mend from an injury of his own, and he and Hoerner could be battling for one spot in Chicago's everyday lineup once both players are healthy.

Marte (hand) is starting Thursday against the Cubs.

Marte missed the last two games due to left hand soreness, but he'll start at the keystone and bat third during Thursday's series opener at Wrigley Field. Over his last five games, he's gone 7-for-17 with three doubles, three runs and three RBI.

Guillorme will start at second base and bat eighth in Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

Guillorme will close out the homestand with a second consecutive start and his third in four games, but he'll likely see his playing time take a hit when the Mets begin a three-game series in Colorado on Friday. Starling Marte (personal) is on track to be activated from the bereavement list Friday, and his return will result in Jeff McNeil moving from the outfield back to an everyday role at second base.

Marte said his sore left hand is feeling better, and he could play Thursday against the Cubs, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Marte sustained the injury during the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader while pinch hitting, and he was scratched for the nightcap and before sitting out Wednesday. Jake Hager replaced Marte at second base for both games.

Estrada went 3-for-3 with a walk, two doubles, a stolen base and a run scored Wednesday against the Rockies.

Estrada is fighting for continued playing time due to the return of Tommy La Stella (Achilles), and he's made a strong case by turning in multi-hit efforts in each of his last three starts. That has been aided by the hitting environment at Coors Field, though Estrada was only one of two Giants hitters to record multiple knocks Wednesday. Estrada also tallied his sixth stolen base of the campaign, and he has yet to be caught. Overall, Estrada maintains a .271/.306/.383 line with 20 RBI and 24 runs scored across 144 plate appearances.

Hernandez was recalled by the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Hernandez had been on Arizona's taxi squad recently, but he'll join the active roster as part of a move after Cooper Hummel (undisclosed) was placed on the injured list. Over nine games with the Diamondbacks this year, Hernandez has hit .125 with two runs and two stolen bases.

Gonzales went 3-for-4 with a homer and two doubles for Double-A Altoona on Tuesday, followed by two more hits Wednesday, but he's still hitting just .243/.363/.378 on the season.

It's been an awfully tough campaign to this point, but Gonzales seems to be getting right at the dish, as he now has a six-game hitting streak going. As of May 10, he was hitting .180/.324/.292, so he's certainly made significant strides recently. With a sky-high 34.1 percent strikeout rate, it's very clear what Gonzales needs to work on right now -- and he has made some progress on that front over the course of this streak. He'll likely need to do a lot more, though, before the Pirates see fit to promote him to Triple-A.

Estrada will start at second base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Rockies, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

With Tommy La Stella (Achilles) returning from the 10-day injured list earlier this week, the Giants were back at full strength in the infield for the first time all season. La Stella is eventually expected to settle in as the Giants' primary starter at second base against right-handed pitching, but since he was deployed as a designated hitter in his first two games back from the IL, Estrada has been able stick at the keystone throughout the series in Colorado. He'll look to stay hot in the series finale Wednesday after producing four hits, two RBI and a run between the first two contests at Coors Field.