MLB Player News

Swanson is batting eighth for Tuesday's game against the Pirates.

Swanson had batted fifth the last 27 games, but manager Craig Counsell is shaking things up a bit with Swanson scuffling at the plate. Over the last seven days, Swanson is slashing .200/.273/.350 with two extra-base hits and eight strikeouts. With Swanson moving down the order, Carson Kelly is moving up and batting cleanup against lefty Andrew Heaney.

Winn is batting second for Tuesday's game against the Reds.

Winn has routinely batted in the nine hole for the Cardinals this season, but St. Louis is looking for a jolt on the road and shuffling the order some. With Winn hitting second, Victor Scott is in the nine hole. Since returning from the injured list, Winn has slashed .250/.304/.350 across 21 plate appearances.

Trejo went 1-for-4 with a double Monday against Atlanta.

Trejo was acquired by the Rockies on Saturday and promoted to the major-league roster Sunday. With both Aaron Schunk (groin) and Ezequiel Tovar (hip) sidelined, Trejo has started consecutive games at shortstop. He seems to have displaced Kyle Farmer, who had previously played regularly between second base and shortstop.

Allen went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Monday's win over the Rockies.

The 26-year-old led Atlanta in hits on a night when the team took advantage of Coors Field to rack up 14 knocks in total. Allen remains a glove-first shortstop, but he's provided more offense than expected this season to supplant Orlando Arcia as the starter, slashing .292/.352/.338 through 21 games with four steals, four RBI and seven runs.

Rockies manager Bud Black said Monday that Tovar (hip) is "not progressing as we'd hoped" and still might be 7-to-10 days away from being activated from the 10-day injured list, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.

Tovar is working his way back from a left hip contusion, and Black said that the shortstop is having problems hinging his hips when fielding grounders. The Rockies had been expecting Tovar to return to action at the beginning of May, but he will need a little more time than that. With Aaron Schunk (groin) also recently landing on the IL, the Rockies have been using Kyle Farmer and Alan Trejo at shortstop.

The Cardinals optioned Saggese to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

Saggese has slashed .341/.364/.512 in 14 games this season at the major-league level, but his playing time has dipped since Masyn Winn returned from the injured list last week. Jose Barrero is grabbing Saggese's roster spot while the latter returns to Memphis where he can play every day.

The Cardinals selected Barrero's contract from Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

He'll join the 26-man active roster as a replacement for Thomas Saggese, who was optioned to Memphis. After he was unable to win a spot on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster as a utility player, Barrero earned his promotion to the big leagues by slashing .299/.396/.517 with four home runs and four stolen bases over 23 games at Triple-A. The right-handed hitting Barrero has seen most of his professional action in the infield but could end up serving as a short-side platoon mate for Victor Scott in center field.

Nunez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.

Nunez made nine straight starts from April 14 through this past Wednesday, but he's since shifted to the bench following top shortstop CJ Abrams' return from the injured list Thursday. So long as Abrams remains healthy, Nunez is expected to see infrequent opportunities as a utility infielder.

The Cardinals are expected to option Saggese to Triple-A Memphis prior to Monday's game against the Reds, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

In a corresponding move, St. Louis intends to call up Jose Barrero, who will provide the bench with more versatility due to his ability to play center field in addition to multiple infield spots. Saggese had gone 0-for-6 with a pair of walks while manning second base in both of the Cardinals' last two games, but playing time had been elusive before that for the 23-year-old, who hadn't started in any of the preceding four contests. He'll get a chance to play on an everyday basis in Memphis and should rank near the top of the list for a call-up the next time the Cardinals require an extra infielder.

The Cardinals are expected to promote Barrero from Triple-A Memphis ahead of Monday's game against the Reds, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

St. Louis hasn't announced a corresponding move, but Alec Burleson and Thomas Saggese have both seen infrequent opportunities of late, making either player a candidate to head to Memphis to receive more consistent playing time. The 27-year-old Barrero attended spring training as a non-roster invitee and fell short in his bid for a spot on the Opening Day squad as a utility player, but he's been a standout performer for Memphis while making starts at shortstop, third base and in center field. He's gotten on base in 18 of his last 19 Triple-A games, slashing .300/.402/.529 with three home runs and five steals during that stretch.