MLB Player News

Arenado (back) will serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter and cleanup batter Sunday at Philadelphia.

Arenado sat out Saturday's game after making an early exit from Friday's series opener due to lower-back tightness, but he apparently feels well enough to fill the DH role in Sunday's series finale. Taylor Motter will start at third base for the visiting Cardinals.

Riley went 1-for-3 with two walks, a solo home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Giants.

The third baseman turned on a first-pitch fastball from Sean Manaea in the fifth inning and crushed it to left field, snapping a brief nine-game homer drought. The streaky Riley is slashing .278/.345/.515 in August with six long balls and 14 RBI, and he's now reached 30 home runs for the third straight season. His career high is 38, set last year, and with 34 games left on Atlanta's schedule, Riley will likely need at least one more heater to get there.

Monasterio went 2-for-3 with a run, an RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 5-4 victory versus San Diego.

Monasterio plated Milwaukee's first run with a single in the fifth inning. He was moved to second on a fielder's choice, then came around to score after stealing third base and drawing a throwing error by Padres catcher Luis Campusano. Monasterio came into Saturday in the midst of a 2-for-30 stretch over his previous eight contests, though he's been able to maintain a near-everyday role in the Brewers' lineup.

Muncy went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer in Saturday's loss to Boston.

The 33-year-old slugger deposited a fifth-inning James Paxton offering into the Fenway bleachers for a two-run shot, giving the Dodgers a 4-2 lead. Muncy has now reached the 30-homer plateau for the fourth time in his career. However, his batting average remains below the Mendoza Line at .197 for the year.

Hayes went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk, two total RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 10-6 loss to the Cubs.

Hayes has seven multi-hit efforts with two homers and four doubles over his last 11 contests. His blast Saturday opened the scoring for the Pirates in the first inning, though it quickly went downhill for the home team. Hayes is up to 10 homers, 48 RBI, 45 runs scored and nine stolen bases while slashing .264/.303/.432 over 96 games this season.

Arenado (back) isn't starting Saturday's game against Philadelphia, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Arenado had to leave Friday's contest after his back tightened up on him mid-game, and the issue is apparently serious enough to warrant him missing a start Saturday. Nolan Gorman will start at third base in Arenado's place while Tommy Edman starts at second and Luken Baker serves as the Cards' DH.

Machado went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Friday in a loss to the Brewers.

Machado smashed a 404-foot solo shot to center field in the fourth inning for San Diego's first run. The third baseman has picked up his power of late, going deep four times over his past six games. He's now at 25 homers on the season, a mark he's reached every year since 2015 with the exception of the condensed 2020 campaign.

Muncy went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Friday's victory over the Red Sox.

Muncy pushed home a run with an RBI groundout in the sixth inning before knocking a two-run double in the seventh. It was his first multi-RBI game since Aug. 10; in his previous 10 games since then, Muncy had registered a .578 OPS. The veteran infielder is now slashing .197/.330/.467 with 80 RBI and 41 extra-base knocks through 443 plate appearances.

Kieboom went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Friday's win over the Marlins.

Kieboom's blast off Braxton Garrett in the sixth inning wasn't a cheap one, travelling 409 feet with an exit velocity of 104.9 mph. It's his second long ball in three games since being recalled from Triple-A Rochester. Kieboom was making his second straight start and third start in the last four games at third base, and he should continue to see regular action at the hot corner -- he was one of the Nationals' top prospects prior to a spate of injuries that derailed his career and is still just 25.

Arenado was removed from Friday's game against the Phillies due to lower-back tightness.

It's not clear when or how Arenado suffered the injury, but he was replaced on defense prior to the bottom of the seventh inning. The star third baseman was hitless in three plate appearances before exiting. Arenado can be considered day-to-day for the time being.