MLB Player News

Polanco (Achilles/wrist) was given a platelet-rich plasma injection in mid-April to combat his left Achilles bursitis, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Polanco has dealt with a nagging Achilles issue all season, and while the PRP injection provided temporary relief, the injury has lingered. The veteran infielder officially landed on the 10-day injured list with a wrist contusion, but it's the Achilles problem that has caused his return timeline to remain fuzzy. Polanco has been performing some baseball activities like taking batting practice, but he won't be cleared for full workouts until he's asymptomatic.

Pushard (knee) could be activated from the 15-day injured list during the Cardinals' homestand beginning May 15, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Pushard has turned in seven innings of one-run ball with an 8:3 K:BB over his last six rehab appearances, and his 30-day rehab clock expires this week. The Cardinals intend to keep the Rule 5 pick around, so his activation appears imminent. Pushard has been dealing with right knee tendinitis.

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).

Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy's decision to pull Suarez in the sixth inning Thursday after 76 pitches was due to the left-hander "starting to fatigue" an inning earlier, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Suarez was cruising against the Phillies, his former team, before getting the hook after 5.1 scoreless frames. "Based on the fact that he hadn't thrown in 11, 12 days, it felt like that was the right time to cut it," Tracy added after the game. While Suarez was never told he was under a pitch count, the pitcher believed he would be held to around 75-80 pitches. He shouldn't have any restrictions for his next outing, which lines up to come on the road early next week in Kansas City.

Houck (elbow) has been making throws out to 105 feet three days per week, MLB.com reports.

In addition to the longer throws in those sessions, Houck has alternated sessions with throws out to 60 feet in which he also incorporated changeups. The Red Sox are targeting late June for the right-hander to begin mound work, but it's not yet clear whether he's pitch for Boston at all in 2026. Houck underwent hybrid reconstruction of his right UCL with flexor tendon repair last August.

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.

Suarez did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Phillies, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out eight over 5.1 scoreless innings.

Making his first start since exiting his May 3 outing with hamstring tightness, Suarez looked strong in his return to the mound, generating eight strikeouts while limiting hard contact throughout. The left-hander was pulled after allowing a Bryce Harper single in the sixth inning despite sitting at just 76 pitches, likely with caution still in mind following the injury. Before the hamstring issue, Suarez had already been on a hot stretch, tossing six or more scoreless frames in three of his previous four starts. He now owns a 2.44 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 40:11 K:BB across 44.1 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.