Valdez (shoulder) will not be cleared to start hitting until the offseason, MLB.com reports.

Valdez was originally expected to be cleared to play in winter ball, though this report places that in doubt. He continues to throw from 120 feet and is expected to resume fielding grounders in the next several days.

Burleson went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double and a walk in Wednesday's loss to the Reds.

Burleson was basically the Cardinals' entire offense in this one, tallying his team's only RBI and only two extra-base hits. He's shown no ill effects after returning from a wrist injury earlier this month, slashing .278/.350/.583 with a pair of long balls over nine contests. Burleson is slated to be St. Louis' primary first baseman down the stretch following Willson Contreras' (shoulder) season-ending injury.

Freeman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run against the Phillies in a 5-0 win Wednesday.

Freeman kicked off the scoring in the contest with a solo blast to center field in the second inning. He finished with his third multi-hit effort over his past five games, a span in which he's batting .391 (9-for-23) with four RBI. Freeman is up to 21 home runs, 83 RBI and an .863 OPS through 138 games, posting nearly identical numbers to the 22 long balls, 89 RBI and .854 OPS he registered over 147 regular-season contests last year.

Steer went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer and five total RBI in Wednesday's 6-2 win over St. Louis.

Steer got the Reds on the board in the fourth inning with a 411-foot blast off Andre Pallante before extending the lead to 6-2 with a two-run single in the seventh. Steer, who had missed Cincinnati's previous three games due to neck spasms, has gone 13-for-43 (.302) in his last 15 contests, though he's found himself in a platoon role recently with Sal Stewart. Overall, Steer is slashing .242/.311/.405 with 18 homers, 69 RBI, 62 runs scored and seven steals across 528 plate appearances this season.

O'Hearn is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.

O'Hearn will get a breather after he went just 3-for-26 (.115 average) while starting in each of the Padres' last seven games. With O'Hearn on the bench, Luis Arraez will slide over from second base to cover first base.

The Cardinals placed Contreras on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a right shoulder strain.

The injury had previously been labeled as a biceps strain, but either way, it will end Contreras' season. He slashed .257/.344/.447 with 20 home runs and 80 RBI over 135 games in his first season as a full-time first baseman. Alec Burleson will take over at first base for the Cardinals down the stretch, which should lead to more playing time in the outfield for Jordan Walker.

Yorke will start in right field and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

Yorke will stick in the lineup for the fifth straight contest and for the seventh time in eight games. He's yet to take advantage of receiving ample playing time in September, as he's slashing just .167/.189/.222 with no home runs, one stolen base, five RBI and one run in 37 plate appearances since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis at the start of the month.

Horwitz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

The left-handed-hitting Horwitz will hit the bench for the series finale while the Cubs send southpaw Matthew Boyd to the bump. Rafael Flores will step in for Horwitz on Wednesday to make his first MLB start.

Steer (neck) will start at first base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game versus the Cardinals.

Steer had been scheduled to start Monday's game but was scratched due to neck spasms. However, he had a chiropractic adjustment Tuesday and is ready to play in Wednesday's series finale. Steer has been losing reps to Sal Stewart at first base, but Stewart will handle third base in Wednesday's contest.

The Cardinals will place Contreras (biceps) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a right biceps strain, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

The strain is considered mild, but it is bad enough to end the first baseman's season with less than two weeks remaining. Contreras will finish 2025 with a .257/.344/.447 batting line, 20 home runs and 80 RBI over 135 games. Alec Burleson will take over as the team's everyday first baseman down the stretch, opening up more playing time in the outfield for Jordan Walker and others.