MLB Player News

The Cardinals activated King (oblique) from the 15-day injured list Sunday.

St. Louis optioned reliever Anthony Veneziano to Triple-A Memphis to clear room in the bullpen for King, who had been shelved since July 30 due to a left oblique strain. Prior to going down with the injury, King had notched two wins and two holds while delivering a 5.18 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 24:13 K:BB across 41.2 innings in 43 appearances.

Narvaez went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and an additional run scored in Saturday's 12-1 win over the Yankees.

Narvaez put the final touch on the win with a two-run shot to left-center field to cap a seven-run ninth inning. He's been a thorn in the side of his former organization, slashing .348/.545/.795 with two home runs and six RBI over seven contests against the Yankees in 2025. Narvaez has a .738 OPS with 11 home runs, 21 doubles, 38 RBI and 45 runs scored over 93 games in his first season with Boston.

Anthony started in right field and went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 12-1 win over the Yankees.

Anthony was back in the outfield after a one-game stint as the designated hitter Friday due to not feeling 100 percent, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Other than Friday's three-strikeout night, Anthony's first taste of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry in New York has gone well. The Red Sox have won the first three games, with Anthony providing a two-run home run Thursday to seal that win.

Smith went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a double in Saturday's 7-1 win over the Brewers.

Smith lined a single to center field in the sixth inning before coming around to score. The 30-year-old first baseman added a double in the seventh and scored once again. He's been productive this month, slashing .317/.339/.433 with 10 RBI, eight runs scored, four doubles, one homer and one stolen base across 62 plate appearances in 18 games during August.

Lucchesi threw a scoreless inning in Saturday's 7-1 win over the Brewers, allowing one hit.

Lucchesi entered the game in the seventh, giving up a single and throwing seven of his 12 pitches for strikes. The 32-year-old has appeared in nine games this month, recording a 9.39 ERA, 2.22 WHIP and a 4:4 K:BB in 7.2 innings. Overall, he owns a 3.96 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and a 21:6 K:BB across 25 innings in 25 games.

Church is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Church started in center field in the first two games of the series and went 2-for-8 with a home run, a stolen base, three RBI and three runs, but he'll take a seat for the series finale as the Cardinals make room for Jordan Walker in right field, with Lars Nootbaar shifting to center. Church and Walker could end up forming something of a timeshare for the final spot in the St. Louis outfield until the Cardinals get either Brendan Donovan (groin) or Victor Scott (ankle) back from the injured list.

Fitts could be the favorite to start Monday's game against the Orioles at Camden Yards, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Fitts initially looked set to work out of the bullpen when he was called up from Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, but the team now has a hole in its rotation after manager Alex Cora said Friday that the struggling Walker Buehler has been moved to a relief role. The Red Sox have made Fitts available out of the bullpen during their four-game series with the Yankees, but he hasn't been used in any of the first three contests. If the team stays away from Fitts in Sunday's series finale, the right-hander would likely become the logical choice to take the hill Monday. Triple-A Worcester rotation member Kyle Harrison is another candidate to get called up to potentially start Monday's contest.

Burleson (wrist) will start in left field and bat third Sunday against the Rays, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old sat out Friday's 10-6 loss due to wrist irritation, but he's ready to go after Saturday's team off day. In his past 10 games, Burleson has a .333/.364/.476 slash line with a home run, a triple, a double and eight RBI.

Pham is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.

Pham will head to the bench after starting each of the previous three contests. The Pirates will turn to Ronny Simon in left field and install him atop the batting order.

Harrison could be recalled from Triple-A Worcester to start Monday's series opener against the Orioles, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

After the Red Sox moved Walker Buehler to the bullpen Friday, the club needs a starter for Monday's contest. The leading contenders to fill the void in the rotation would seem to be Harrison and Richard Fitts, the latter of whom was recalled from Triple-A on Thursday and was made available out of the bullpen. Fitts has gone unused in the first three games of the Red Sox's series with the Yankees, and if Boston stays away from him again Sunday, the right-hander would likely be the top candidate to take the hill Monday. Acquired from the Giants in the June 15 deal that sent Rafael Devers to San Francisco, Harrison has yet to make his Red Sox debut. The 24-year-old southpaw has thus far made 10 starts for Worcester, turning in a 3.69 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 46:25 K:BB in 46.1 innings.