MLB Player News

Gorman hit a two-run home run as a pinch hitter in Friday's 8-6 win over the Red Sox.

Gorman's ninth-inning blast off Kenley Jansen provided the Cardinals with their margin of victory. With St. Louis using Willson Contreras as the full-time designated hitter, Gorman has slipped into a strong-side platoon role, primarily playing at second base and occasionally at third. He can still provide some pop off the bench, as evidenced Friday. The 23-year-old is slashing .261/.352/.550 with nine homers, 26 RBI, 12 runs scored and three stolen bases through 128 plate appearances.

Gimenez went 3-for-4 with a triple in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Angels.

Gimenez entered Friday with just two hits and no walks over eight games in May. It's been a tough stretch for the second baseman but not one that's led to much of a reduction in his playing time, as he's sat out just once this month. For the season, he's slashing .231/.301/.346 with two home runs, six stolen bases, eight RBI and 21 runs scored through 36 contests. The triple was his first of the year and the sixth of his career.

Rosario went 3-for-5 with a triple, a double and a run scored in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Angels.

Rosario came up a home run shy of the cycle. This was his second multi-hit effort in his last three games after having just one in the previous 12 contests. The shortstop is slashing a modest .248/.287/.361 with a homer, seven RBI, 17 runs scored, six stolen bases, four triples and four doubles through 32 games.

Miller went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two total runs scored in Friday's 5-1 win over the Royals.

Miller was a triple shy of the cycle, though he has just one three-bagger in his career. He's hit safely in his last five games, going 8-for-18 (.444) over that span. His homer was his first of the year, and he's added six RBI, three stolen bases and nine runs scored while slashing .323/.348/.435 through 62 plate appearances. He's starting to get a look at leadoff versus southpaws, but he's still in a fairly strict platoon role at second base, with Brice Turang facing most righties.

Altuve (thumb) went 0-for-4 and played seven innings for Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday.

Altuve said after the game that he plans to play Saturday, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, and that his timing is still off at the plate, which is to be expected. The second baseman was seeing his first action since breaking his thumb during the World Baseball Classic back in March, and the most important thing is that he's finally getting reps after missing two-plus months. Altuve will likely need a few more rehab games, but it appears as though he could be playing for the Astros and hitting at the top of the order at some point next week.

Merrifield went 1-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 3-0 win over Atlanta.

He scored Toronto's first run in the fifth inning on a George Springer single, giving Chris Bassitt all the support he would need as the veteran righty tossed a shutout. Merrifield has shrugged off a slow start to the season, and over his last 20 games he's batting .311 (23-for-74) with one homer, eight RBI, nine runs and six of his eight stolen bases on the year.

Lopez (appendicitis) is expected to start a rehab assignment with the Royals next week, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Lopez didn't travel with the team during its current road trip. The infielder will likely need a handful of games to get back into game shape, and he has a chance to return to the Kansas City lineup near the end of May.

Rojas is not in the starting lineup Friday against the Giants.

Rojas will probably appear off the bench at some point as the Giants go with a bullpen game to help ease southpaw Alex Wood back into action. Emmanuel Rivera is starting at third base and batting second to kick things off for the host Diamondbacks.

Kemp is not in the starting lineup for Friday's tilt against Texas.

Kemp will take a seat against left-hander Martin Perez. Jordan Diaz will start his sixth straight game at second base and hit sixth.

Stott is not in the Phillies' lineup for Friday's game in Colorado.

Stott will take a seat against left-handed Austin Gomber. Josh Harrison is handling second base.