MLB Player News

Sosa (wrist) will start at shortstop and bat seventh Monday against the Mets.

Sosa checks back into the lineup after he was on the bench for the past four games with a sore left wrist. Before the injury surfaced, Sosa had supplanted Paul DeJong as the Cardinals' top shortstop. Dating back to Aug. 14, Sosa is slashing .371/.446/.565 with 12 runs and 12 RBI.

Sosa (wrist) entered Sunday's win over the Reds as a defensive replacement at shortstop and subsequently went 0-for-2.

Sosa's blanking at the plate pales in relevance to the fact the ailing infielder managed to take swings in game action again after missing the previous four contests with wrist pain. Assuming he has no residual effects from Sunday's activity, Sosa, who'd opened September hitting .364 (8-for-22) over his first seven games of the month, could be back in the starting lineup Monday against the Mets.

Farmer returned from the paternity list Monday.

Farmer had been away from the team since Friday. He'll likely return to his role as the Reds' primary shortstop going forward, though it wasn't Jose Barrero who was optioned in his place, so he could potentially have competition. Instead, Brad Brach was designated for assignment.

Arenado went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Sunday's win over the Reds.

The star third baseman carried the Cardinals to victory by putting the lone two runs of the game on the board thanks to his 31st homer of the season -- a two-run shot off Sonny Gray in the bottom of the first. Arenado has homered in back-to-back games and is hitting .250 with five homers, 12 RBI, nine runs scored and a .937 OPS across 11 games (41 plate appearances) this month.

Wisdom will sit Sunday against San Francisco.

Wisdom has fallen into a slump recently, going 2-for-28 at the plate over his last eight games. Matt Duffy will take over at third base.

Moustakas will sit Sunday against the Cardinals.

Moustakas hasn't started against a single southpaw since returning from a heel injury in early August. That trend will continue against J.A. Happ, with Asdrubal Cabrera taking over at third base.

Kieboom will sit Sunday against the Pirates.

Kieboom has shown more at the plate this season than he did in the previous two years, but he's gone cold over his last 16 games, hitting .206/.265/.317. He'll sit for the first time since July 29, with Adrian Sanchez taking over at third base.

Sosa (wrist) remains on the bench as expected Sunday against the Reds, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Sosa hasn't played since Wednesday while battling wrist pain, though he's yet to be placed on the injured list and took grounders on the field Sunday without a brace, so he could be back in the lineup soon. Paul DeJong will remain the primary shortstop until Sosa is ready to return.

Machado went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs, an RBI and a stolen base in a 5-4 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday.

Machado singled and scored in the fourth inning, doubled in the sixth, and singled, stole second and scored in the eighth. The three-hit game was Machado's first since July 30 while the theft was Machado's second of the month. The All-Star third baseman now has 12 steals on the year and could easily eclipse the 14 he had his 2018.

Arenado went 2-for-4 with a home run, a triple, two total runs and three total RBI in Saturday's 6-4 victory versus Cincinnati.

The veteran third baseman entered the contest having gone hitless in three straight contests, but he turned things around in a big way Saturday. Arenado pulled St. Louis to within a run with a sixth-inning RBI triple, and he subsequently scored to tie the game 4-4. His biggest contribution of the game came two innings later, when Arenado smoked a two-run homer to left field to plate the game-winning runs. The long ball was Arenado's 30th of the campaign, and he has now reached that mark in six straight campaigns, not including last season's abbreviated 60-game slate.