MLB Player News

Leahy didn't factor in the decision Thursday at Pittsburgh after giving up a run on three hits and no walks over two innings. He struck out three.

It was another short start down the stretch for the right-hander as the Cardinals managed his workload to close out his first season as a big-league starter. Leahy lasted fewer than five frames in his final six starts of the year, but he still finished with a 10-5 record with a 3.66 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 132:41 K:BB across 140 innings. That innings total is the 29-year-old's largest since 2022 in the minors -- his last season as a full-time starter -- and should set him up nicely to be a key rotation piece and avoid workload limitations late in the 2027 campaign.

Montgomery picked up the save Thursday versus St. Louis, striking out all three batters he faced in the ninth inning.

The left-hander entered for the ninth inning with Pittsburgh holding a 2-1 advantage, and he closed things out in strong form by punching out the side in order to record his 17th save of 2026. Montgomery has turned into a late-inning weapon for the Pirates and hasn't given up a run since July 26. During that 25-game stretch, he's picked up three wins and converted all 15 of his save chances with a 0.65 WHIP and 37:7 K:BB.

Skenes did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing one run on three hits and two walks over 6.1 innings against the Cardinals. He struck out eight.

After surrendering five runs during his previous start against Kansas City, Skenes bounced back Thursday in his final outing of the campaign. The right-hander surrendered a first-inning homer to Alec Burleson but locked in from there, allowing just four more baserunners to reach. His strikeout of Leo Bernal to begin the seventh inning was his 200th of the season and signaled an end to his afternoon at 96 pitches. Skenes closes out an up-and-down campaign with a 10-11 record and a 3.82 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 174.1 innings covering 32 starts.

Atlanta placed Perez on the 15-day injured list Thursday with lower-back inflammation, Jesus Cano of The Athletic reports.

Perez battled control issues during his last start Sunday against Houston, and his back injury may help to explain his struggles. His move to the injured list will rule him out through the beginning of the NLDS, and he'll close the book on the regular season with a 3.04 ERA and 1.27 WHIP alongside a 102:62 K:BB over 142 innings.

Scott will spend a week at Driveline Baseball's facility in Tampa, Florida, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

According to Goold, Scott's primary objective with his visit to Driveline will be to adjust his bat path so he can better "impact the ball." Scott also plans to play winter ball. The speedy outfielder was the Cardinals' Opening Day center fielder but has managed just a .190/.269/.252 batting line in 79 games with the big club this season. Scott also slashed only .237/.320/.342 this season during his time at Triple-A Memphis.

Mullins isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

Mullins will get a chance to rest his legs during Thursday's series finale after going 1-for-4 with a solo homer during Wednesday's contest. Jonny DeLuca will take over in center field and bat sixth.

Aranda isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

After going 1-for-8 with four strikeouts over the first three games of the series, Aranda will grab a seat on the bench to begin Thursday's finale. Ryan Vilade will fill in at first base and bat eighth.

The Cardinals optioned Hjerpe to Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Hjerpe made his final appearance of the season in Thursday's loss to the Pirates, tossing 3.1 shutout innings in a bulk relief outing. The Cardinals will announce a corresponding roster move prior to Friday's game in Milwaukee. Hjerpe made four appearances for the big club as a piggyback partner with Kyle Leahy, logging a 4.27 ERA and 15:9 K:BB over 12.1 innings. The left-hander will likely compete for a spot in the Cardinals' Opening Day rotation next season.

Acuna (leg) will start in right field and will bat second in Thursday's game against the Reds.

Acuna exited Tuesday's contest after fouling a ball off his left leg and didn't play Wednesday, but he's ready to roll for Thursday's series finale. The 28-year-old outfielder is sporting a 1.072 OPS with seven home runs in 19 games this month.

Jones isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays.

Jones will grab a seat on the bench to begin Thursday's series finale after going 2-for-11 with a walk, a run scored and a steal against the Rays over his last three games. Jose Caballero will start in center field as a result and bat ninth.