MLB Player News

Nootbaar (heels) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Palm Beach on Friday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Nootbaar has been ramping up workouts at the Cardinals' spring training facility in Florida and is finally ready to test things out in a game setting. It will be his first game action since he underwent offseason surgery to address painful growths on both heels. He's eligible for activation from the 60-day injured list May 24, but it's likely Noobaar will need a little more time than that. When he does make it back onto St. Louis' active roster, Nootbaar could take over left field from the lackluster duo of Nathan Church (.681 OPS in 136 PAs) and Thomas Saggese (.380 OPS in 65 PAs).

Schwarber went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Red Sox.

After both starting pitchers dominated to begin the night, Schwarber finally broke a scoreless tie in the eighth inning by taking Tyler Samaniego deep. The blast was Schwarber's MLB-leading 18th of the season, including seven in the last seven games. He continues to be one of baseball's premier power bats with a .965 OPS, and he's already compiled 1.5 WAR despite serving primarily as a designated hitter. Since 2022, the veteran slugger has hit at least 38 home runs every season, and he appears well on his way to reaching that mark again. Schwarber is slashing .226/.355/.610 with seven doubles, 30 RBI and 30 runs scored across 197 plate appearances.

Duran earned the save Thursday against the Red Sox, allowing one walk while striking out three over a scoreless ninth inning.

Duran was called upon with a two-run lead in the ninth inning and overpowered Boston's lineup, working around a walk to Masataka Yoshida by striking out three batters to secure his seventh save of the season. The hard-throwing right-hander continues to succeed, allowing one run over his five appearances since returning from the injured list while recording multiple strikeouts in each. Duran now owns a 1.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 19:5 K:BB across 11.2 innings.

Luzardo did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Red Sox, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out four over six scoreless innings.

Luzardo turned in one of his sharper outings of the season, throwing 59 of 92 pitches for strikes while matching former teammate Ranger Suarez in a pitchers' duel that featured five-plus scoreless innings from both sides. Although Luzardo recorded only four strikeouts Thursday, the left-hander still owns an impressive 30 percent strikeout rate through nine starts this season. He has now logged three quality starts in his last four outings and owns a 5.07 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 61:13 K:BB across 49.1 innings.

Walker went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and an additional RBI in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Athletics.

Walker came through in multiple key spots Thursday, first tying the game in the sixth inning with a solo homer off Jacob Lopez before delivering the eventual game-winning RBI on a double down the right-field line in the ninth. The young outfielder has stayed hot throughout May, batting .318 with nine RBI since the start of the month. Walker is now slashing .294/.370/.575 with 12 home runs, nine doubles, 32 RBI, 33 runs scored and seven stolen bases across 181 plate appearances as he continues to put together a breakout season.

Lee went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a loss to the Dodgers on Thursday.

Lee got some help on his inside-the-park job, as Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernandez appeared to assume Lee's blooper would bounce into the stands for a ground-rule double. Instead, the ball rolled to the outfield wall, and Lee was able to round the bases just ahead of a relay throw to home plate. It was Lee's first career inside-the-park homer and his 13th home run through 230 career regular-season games. He's been productive over his past seven games, going 9-for-32 (.281 average) with three extra-base hits, four RBI and three runs.

Johnston went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI on Thursday against the Pirates.

Johnston accounted for the Rockies' only offense with a two-RBI double in the fourth inning. He had a solid road trip in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, going 5-for-15 with three runs scored and three RBI across six games. Johnston is hitting .326 for the season, paired with two homers, 14 runs scored and 20 RBI across 40 games.

Triolo went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk Thursday against the Rockies.

Triolo was in the lineup for the second consecutive game, the first of which came at first base and the latter at third. He's gone 3-for-5 in that very small sample, and the Pirates could continue to find him playing due to the strength of his defense. However, Triolo has struggled offensively for nearly the entirety of his career, with his lone fantasy contribution likely to come from stolen bases.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a 5-2 win against San Francisco on Thursday.

For the first time in his career, Smith was inserted into the lineup as the Dodgers' leadoff hitter. He wasted little time making the move look like a stroke of genius, launching his fourth homer of the campaign to lead off Los Angeles' half of the first inning. Smith's eye at the plate and contact skills are befitting of a leadoff hitter, but he isn't likely to slot into that role often. Shohei Ohtani, who typically bats atop the order, was given a second straight day off from hitting Thursday as part of a plan to help him reset, but the two-way star is expected to be back in the lineup Friday versus the Angels.

Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and two RBI on Thursday against the Rockies.

Rodriguez was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday, but his start behind the plate Thursday was his season debut. He immediately made a strong impression, doubling in his first at-bat before driving in two with a single one frame later. Rodriguez is likely to remain behind Henry Davis on the depth chart for the time being, but Rodriguez could force his way into the lineup if he continues to deliver at the dish.