MLB Player News

Donovan (shin) is back in the starting lineup Friday at Seattle.

Recovered from a left shin abrasion, Donovan will start at second base and bat leadoff in the Cardinals' series opener versus the Mariners and right-hander George Kirby. The 26-year-old is slashing .270/.329/.413 with two homers and two steals in 17 games this season.

Bae isn't in the Pirates' lineup Friday against Cincinnati.

After snapping a three-game hitting streak Thursday, Bae will get a breather Friday against Graham Ashcraft and the Reds. Mark Mathias will take Bae's place at second base and bat seventh.

Estrada went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Thursday's 9-4 loss to the Mets.

Estrada has two steals while going 10-for-31 (.323) over his last seven games. The 27-year-old continues to impress in a near-everyday role this season. He's slashing .324/.378/.515 with three home runs, four steals, six RBI, 13 runs scored and four doubles as the Giants' preferred No. 2 hitter and second baseman against right-handed pitchers.

McNeil went 3-for-3 with one homer, two RBI, two runs scored and a walk in Thursday's victory over the Giants.

McNeil clobbered his first homer of the season in one of the best games he's had this year. His solo shot in the sixth inning extended New York's lead to 6-4, which he then followed up with an RBI single in the seventh. While it's still early, the California native currently has a .412 OBP, which would be a career-high mark if he can keep it up.

India went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base in Thursday's 4-3 loss against the Pirates.

India did his part to spur a Reds' comeback Thursday -- he drove in Jose Barrero with a base hit in the eighth inning before stealing third and eventually scoring on a Spencer Steer sacrifice fly. India is off to a strong start in his third season after a disappointing sophomore campaign. He's now slashing .318/.427/.470 with a home run, eight RBI, 17 runs scored and four stolen bases through 66 plate appearances.

Villar is not in Thursday's lineup against the Mets, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Villar has started seven of the team's last eight games but will hit the bench for a breather Thursday after collecting only three hits across his last 27 plate appearances while striking out at a 37 percent rate. Wilmer Flores enters the lineup in Villar's spot, batting sixth while playing first base.

Hernandez was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Just a day after being promoted to the big leagues by the Dodgers, Hernandez will return to Triple-A while Andre Jackson gets the callup to take the infielder's roster spot. Hernandez is slashing .308/.500/.385 through 18 Triple-A plate appearances and could return to Los Angeles if their infield depth is ever tested again during the season.

Marte is not in the lineup Thursday against the Padres.

Marte will grab a bit of rest after rattling off three straight multi-hit games in St. Louis. Geraldo Perdomo is playing second base and batting ninth Thursday versus San Diego. Nick Ahmed is at shortstop and hitting eighth.

Arraez went 1-for-5 with a walk and a stolen base in Wednesday's extra-innings loss to the Giants.

He collected his first theft of the season on the back half of a double steal with Jazz Chisholm in the 10th inning, but the duo got stranded when Bryan De La Cruz and Avisail Garcia both struck out, setting the stage for a four-run top of the 11th by San Francisco. Arraez has gone just 4-for-17 since returning to the starting lineup from a minor finger injury, but he still sports a dazzling .438/.493/.578 slash line through 18 games on the season, albeit with a less impressive one homer, seven RBI and seven runs.

Donovan (shin) came off the bench to play second base for the final two innings of Wednesday's 14-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

The Cardinals already held a 10-run lead heading into the top of the eighth, so manager Oliver Marmol's decision to use Donovan suggests that the team has no real concern about the utility player requiring a stint on the 10-day injured list. Donovan was out of the starting nine for the second straight game due to an abrasion on his left leg that caused a minor infection and some swelling, but he's responded well to antibiotics and rest over the past couple of days, per John Denton of MLB.com. Following a team off day Thursday, expect Donovan to return to the starting nine for Friday's series opener in Seattle.