MLB Player News

Johnson has been diagnosed with a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee and will undergo season-ending surgery, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Johnson had to be carted off the field during this past Saturday's game with Triple-A Indianapolis after stumbling over the first-base bag while attempting to leg out an infield single. It's a brutal injury for the 22-year-old infielder, who will undergo more examinations before undergoing surgery, with an eye toward being back on the field during the 2027 season. Johnson had a .651 OPS with 24 steals (in 30 attempts), eight home runs and 37 RBI across 401 plate appearances in Triple-A this season before the injury.

Prieto is expected to be optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Saturday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The move will make room on the active roster for Cardinals prospect Joshua Baez, who will make his major-league debut against the Cubs on Saturday. Prieto was brought up from Triple-A on Aug. 4 but has gone 1-for-11 in five games since his promotion to the big leagues. He's been utilized as a depth piece in the infield but will see regular playing time in the minors.

Manager Kevin Cash said Friday that Fraley (hernia) is scheduled to play a few games at the team's complex in Florida before beginning a rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Fraley landed on the injured list in May due to a hernia that required surgery, though setbacks have extended his time on the shelf. It's unclear how far away he is from rejoining the active roster, but he's likely to spend a good amount of time in the minors after missing nearly three months.

Jax (elbow) threw from 120 feet out Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Manager Kevin Cash described Jax's throwing session Friday as "very, very good" and noted that the team is planning out the next stages of his build-up program. The 31-year-old will be eligible to return from the injured list next Friday but may need to spend slightly more time on the shelf before returning to Tampa Bay's rotation.

St. Louis manager Oli Marmol said Friday that Baez will be in the Cardinals' lineup against the Cubs on Saturday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Baez is scheduled to make his major-league debut in Chicago on Saturday, five years after being selected by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft. He's been heating up at the plate at the right time, having gone 20-for-58 (.345) with six steals, six doubles, five home runs and 16 RBI over his last 15 games with Triple-A Memphis, which has brought him up to an .898 OPS across 460 plate appearances this season. Baez has played in all three spots in the outfield and should see a fair amount of reps in the majors, with most of his starts likely coming in left field.

Brash (lat) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.

Saturday will mark Brash's first time throwing off a mound since he landed on the injured list June 10 with a right lat strain. The Mariners still haven't set a timetable for the right-hander's return, though there is optimism within the organization that he'll rejoin the bullpen sometime in early September. A more definitive timeline will likely emerge after he gets through a few mound sessions.

Nationals manager Blake Butera revealed Friday that Abrams will be the team's primary second baseman moving forward, with Nasim Nunez shifting to shortstop, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Abrams remains at shortstop for Friday's game against the Mets, and he will still see occasional starts at the position. However, his main spot on the diamond will be second base, a position he hasn't played since 2022 with the Padres. The alignment should improve the Nationals' middle-infield defense, as Abrams has long been a poor defender at shortstop, while Nunez is considered an above-average fielder. Additionally, several of the team's top prospects are shortstops, so an eventual shift to the keystone for Abrams felt inevitable.

Ward (quadriceps) isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against Houston.

Ward missed Thursday's game against the Yankees due to quad tightness, and his injury will now force him to sit out Friday's series opener as well. Randy Arozarena, Victor Robles and Dominic Canzone will start across the outfield with Ward out, and Julio Rodriguez will work as the DH.

Young (head) will start at second base and bat leadoff Friday against the Astros.

Young made an early exit from Wednesday's game against the Yankees due to dizziness and was left out of Thursday's lineup as well. Now seemingly feeling better, he'll return to his post at second base. The 23-year-old is slashing .275/.326/.300 with two RBI and three runs scored over 43 plate appearances since the beginning of August.

Carrigg is absent from the lineup for Friday's contest in San Francisco.

Carrigg was in the lineup for the previous 11 games, splitting time between center field (eight starts) and shortstop (three starts). He'll exit the lineup for Friday's series opener, with the Rockies leaning on Jake McCarthy in center field and Ezequiel Tovar at shortstop.