MLB Player News

Gorman's contract was officially selected by the Cardinals on Thursday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The 22-year-old will make his major-league debut while starting at second base during Friday's game against the Pirates, while Tommy Edman is slated to shift to shortstop in the near future. Gorman got off to a hot start at Triple-A Memphis this year and slashed .308/.367/.677 with 15 homers, 31 runs, 23 RBI and three stolen bases over 34 games. Since Paul DeJong struggled early in the season prior to being sent down, Gorman should have a chance to earn long-term playing time in St. Louis.

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.

Rosario went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Thursday's loss to the Reds.

It's been a tough start to the season for Rosario, but he's been better at the plate since getting a few days out of the lineup to manage wrist soreness earlier this month. Rosario has now hit safely in six of his last eight games. The steal was his first since April 16.

Frazier went 3-for-5 with two runs in a win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

Frazier's third multi-hit effort over the last four games pushed his average to its highest point since April 21. Factoring in Wednesday's production, Frazier boasts a .370/.442/.522 slash line over his last 12 games.

Semien went 3-for-5 at the dish in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Angels.

The three hits were a season high for Semien and exceeded his combined output (two) from his previous nine games combined. Semien's lowly .173 batting average is destined to climb from here, but the 31-year-old has yet to show any signs of bouncing back in the power department. With his move to Texas this offseason, Semien was already expected to see a downturn from the career-best 45 home runs he delivered with Toronto in 2021, but his decline as a power hitter has been even more severe than anticipated. He has yet to leave the yard through 35 games and has only seven extra-base hits (all doubles) over his 153 plate appearances. Per Statcast, Semien sits in the bottom-10 percentile of all hitters in terms of average exit velocity, barrel rate, expected slugging percentage and hard-hit percentage, so it's tough to count on him staging a major turnaround as a power hitter.

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.

Lopez went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the White Sox.

Lopez has gone 5-for-11 with a double and a pair of stolen bases in the first four contests of a rare five-game series versus the Pale Hose. He's gotten off to a slow start in 2022, posting a .216/.304/.252 slash line with three RBI, 12 runs scored and three stolen bases in 36 games. His solid defense will keep him in the lineup at either second base or shortstop most days, but he'll often hit at the bottom of the order as he has for much of May.

Merrifield went 1-for-5 with an RBI and his sixth stolen base of the season in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the White Sox.

Merrifield's season-long batting average (.204) barely sits over the Mendoza Line, but after a brutal first month, he's at least started to settle in nicely at the plate. His base hit Wednesday extended his hitting streak to a 10 games, with the 33-year-old having slashed .372/.391/.558 with two home runs, two doubles, three stolen bases, 10 runs and 10 RBI over that stretch. He's since recaptured the leadoff job for Kansas City and once again finds himself atop the lineup for Thursday's series finale.