MLB Player News

Allen (hand) will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

Allen had been held out of the lineup for the past two days due to swelling on the knuckle of his right middle finger after he was hit by a pitch Thursday. The two days off appear to have provided sufficient time for Allen to heal up. The 26-year-old sports a .243/.308/.271 slash line in 48 games this season.

Alvarez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez started the first two games of the series and will sit for Sunday's finale after going 1-for-7 with three strikeouts. Luis Torrens will step in behind the plate to catch for righty Clay Holmes.

Nimmo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Nimmo started the previous five games and will receive a day off after going 8-for-19 with a double and a homer during that span. Starling Marte will take over in left field versus lefty Carson Palmquist on Sunday.

Graceffo could be used in a multi-inning relief role at Triple-A Memphis, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

All four of Graceffo's appearances this season at Memphis have been as a starting pitcher, but all nine outings in the majors have come in relief. While the team hasn't committed to a permanent move to the bullpen for Graceffo, it's the role it seems like he'll work in for now. The 25-year-old has posted a 7.47 ERA and 13:4 K:BB over 15.2 frames with the big club this season.

Matsui allowed two runs on four hits without retiring a batter in Saturday's loss to Pittsburgh.

Matsui entered with one out in the seventh inning with San Diego down 3-0. The southpaw gave up four straight hits -- three singles and one double -- to allow the Pirates to plate two runs before he was given the hook. It was an uncharacteristically poor performance by Matsui, who entered Saturday with a solid 2.74 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 through 23 appearances. He hasn't been on the fantasy radar, though, since he isn't being used in high-leverage situations often. Matsui has just two holds and no save chances on the season.

Harper (elbow) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

Harper hasn't started since being hit by a pitch in the right elbow Tuesday versus Atlanta, and his absence will continue Sunday. The 32-year-old is still dealing with some bruising, though manager Rob Thomson relayed Saturday that the swelling has improved significantly over the past couple days. Harper will have Monday's team off day to aid in his recovery before the Phillies begin a three-game set in Toronto on Tuesday. For his part, Harper said that he's feeling much better and anticipates playing in the series opener versus the Blue Jays, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Saturday that he expects Walker (wrist) back from the 10-day injured list "pretty soon," Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Walker began feeling discomfort with his left wrist during the Cardinals' last homestand and the pain went "in and out" since then, per Marmol, before the outfielder landed on the IL on Saturday. He will be eligible for activation June 8, and it sounds as if Walker has a chance to return on that date or shortly after. With Walker shelved, Alec Burleson is making a third straight start in right field Sunday.

Pages is starting at catcher and batting eighth in Sunday's game versus the Rangers.

Pages had seemed destined for a reserve role once Ivan Herrera returned from the 10-day injured list back on May 9. However, Herrera has been used as the Cardinals' primary designated hitter, while Pages has started at catcher in 14 of 21 contests over that span. Despite the regular playing time, Pages isn't much of a fantasy option even in two-catcher leagues, as most of his value to St. Louis comes from his defense.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said recently that he plans to continue playing Herrera "mostly at the DH," Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Herrera is starting at designated hitter again Sunday versus the Rangers, marking the 17th time in 20 starts since being activated from the 10-day injured list May 9 that he's been at DH. The 25-year-old will be mixed in at catcher 1-to-2 times per week, but the bulk of the starts behind the dish will continue going to Pedro Pages for the time being. Herrera has slowed down at the plate recently, going 4-for-30 across his last nine contests.

The Brewers activated Quintana (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to start Sunday's game at Philadelphia.

The veteran left-hander is rejoining Milwaukee's rotation Sunday after missing the past three weeks due to a shoulder impingement. Quintana threw 71 pitches across four innings during his lone rehab outing, so he could face some minor workload limitations in his first start back with the Brewers.