MLB Player News

Hoerner isn't starting Friday's game against the Cardinals.

Hoerner will get a breather after he went 2-for-13 with a walk and a strikeout over the last three games. Andrelton Simmons will shift to shortstop while Rafael Ortega enters the lineup in center field.

Gorman (back) is feeling "fine" and was held out of the lineup Thursday against the Cubs in hopes of being able to return at full strength Friday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Gorman went through batting practice but was held out of the lineup and was not used as a pinch hitter Thursday. However, manager Oliver Marmol said that decision was made with the hopes that Gorman would be able to play second base -- rather than only serve as the designated hitter -- for Friday afternoon's game against the Cubs. Gorman has been sidelined by back stiffness for the Cardinals' last three contests.

Kim is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Brewers, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Kim started the past eight games and will head to the bench after posting a .570 OPS during that stretch. Sergio Alcantara will start at shortstop and bat ninth in his place for the series opener in Milwaukee.

Estrada was added to the lineup for Thursday's game against the Marlins, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Estrada was slated to take a seat for the fifth time in the last seven games Thursday, but he'll start at second base and bat sixth after Brandon Crawford (illness) was a late scratch. Although Estrada will draw the start Thursday, he's recently lost out on playing time to Donovan Walton.

Gorman (back) isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Gorman will take a seat for a third consecutive game due to lower-back tightness. Whether he's available off the bench remains to be seen, but Gorman was listed among the Cardinals' participants in batting practice Thursday, according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat. St. Louis also hasn't added an infielder to its taxi squad for its current road trip as of Thursday, implying that Gorman isn't considered a candidate to land on the injured list.

Estrada is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Marlins, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The righty-hitting Estrada finds himself on the bench against a right-handed starter (Sandy Alcantara) and appears to have moved into the short side of a platoon at second base with the lefty-hitting Donovan Walton, who starts for the seventh time in the last eight games. Estrada's decreased role comes as a surprise following a solid month of May in which he slashed .322/.358/.414.

Double-A Altoona placed Gonzales (heel) on its 7-day injured list Thursday, Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The Pirates initially believed Gonzales was dealing with a minor contusion on his heel, but the issue has since proven to be a little more serious than the organization anticipated. That being said, a long-term absence doesn't seem to be in the forecast for Gonzales, who is also expected to change his cleats with the hope of mitigating any potential heel problems moving forward. Gonzales is hitting .247 with four home runs and four stolen bases across 186 plate appearances at Altoona this season.

Stott went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Giants.

The steal was his first in the majors, while the multi-hit performance was his first since May 13. Stott has a miserable .143/.195/.169 slash line through his first 25 games in the big leagues, but with Jean Segura (finger) potentially out for the next three months, the rookie will be in the mix for playing time at second base.

Rodgers went 3-for-5 with a walk, three home runs, four RBI and four runs scored in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Marlins.

Rodgers tallied a double, a walk and a run scored in the first game of the doubleheader, but he saved his heroics for the night contest. He went yard in the second and fifth frames prior to delivering a walk-off homer in the 10th inning. Rodgers has quietly collected at least one hit in 24 of his last 26 starts dating back to May 1, picking up 22 RBI and 21 runs scored in that span. Though he had a dreadful start to the season, Rodgers has rebounded to bring his line to .266/.321/.422 with five home runs across 168 plate appearances.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Gonzales is considered day-to-day with heel discomfort, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Gonzales exited Tuesday's game at Double-A Altoona, but his injury doesn't appear to be particularly concerning. Over 25 games in May, the 23-year-old hit .266 with two homers, five doubles, 16 runs, nine RBI and a stolen base.