Altuve went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's 11-3 win over Atlanta.

The 35-year-old took Dane Dunning deep in the sixth inning, giving Altuve his 25th homer of the season -- the fourth time he's reached that milestone in his career. He's been struggling down the stretch, batting just .146 (6-for-41) so far in September, but Altuve will remain an everyday player for the Astros as they battle the Mariners down the stretch for the AL West crown.

Hoerner went 2-for-3 with a walk, a triple and two runs scored in Friday's 6-4 victory over Tampa Bay.

Hoerner extended his hitting streak to seven games, and during that time, he's tallied four multi-hit performances. Over his last 15 games, the speedy infielder is batting .339 with two home runs, three stolen bases, six RBI and 13 runs scored. Hoerner remains a useful fantasy asset due to his contact skills and ability to swipe bags.

Sosa was removed from Friday's game against the Royals with right groin tightness, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Manager Rob Thomson said after the game that pulling Sosa from the game was mostly a precautionary decision, so the 29-year-old infielder doesn't seem to be dealing with anything serious at the moment. If Sosa is unable to play in the near future, Bryson Stott would shift over to shortstop, which would open up opportunities at second base for Otto Kemp, Weston Wilson or Donovan Walton.

Kim isn't in the lineup for Friday's game versus San Francisco.

Kim will miss out on the starting lineup against a right-hander for the second time in a row, this time conceding a start at second base to Tommy Edman. Michael Conforto, Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernandez will patrol the outfield with Edman at the keystone.

Iglesias (hand) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies.

Iglesias was hit in the left hand by a pitch Tuesday, and he'll be held out of the starting nine for a second straight game due to the injury. The 35-year-old is considered day-to-day and could be available off the bench.

Vargas will bat second and play second base Friday against Minnesota.

Vargas was left out of the initial starting nine Friday, but he'll jump into the lineup after Ketel Marte (foot) was scratched. Vargas has generated a hit in five of his last six games.

Marte (foot) was scratched from Friday's lineup against the Twins.

Marte was originally in line to play Friday after exiting Wednesday's game with a bruised foot, but the D-backs will err on the side of caution and keep him on the bench for at least one game. Ildemaro Vargas will step in to cover second base and bat second while Marte rests.

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

With Brendan Donovan (groin) back from the injured list and batting leadoff Friday in Milwaukee, Fermin will head back to Memphis. Fermin has slashed .273/.360/.386 with one home run, four RBI, three runs scored and a 6:7 BB:K across 51 plate appearances at the big-league level this season.

The Cardinals activated Donovan (groin) from the 10-day injured list Friday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Donovan missed just under a month of action with a left groin strain, but he's ready to go after playing two rehab games with Double-A Springfield. The 28-year-old will regain his role as the Cardinals' everyday second baseman, which will likely push Thomas Saggese back to the bench most days.

Vargas is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Minnesota.

Vargas will yield to Tim Tawa at first base on Friday for a second straight game. Vargas has six hits in his last 17 at-bats, a stretch that spans six games.