MLB Player News

Tovar is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.

It's the third consecutive time that Tovar has been out of the lineup when the opposition has had a righty on the bump, in this case Andre Pallante. It's unclear whether Tovar has fallen into a short-side platoon, but it wouldn't be a surprise given his woeful .209/.256/.333 slash line. Cole Carrigg will handle shortstop for the Rockies in the series opener.

The Pirates reinstated Griffin (finger) from the 60-day injured list Friday, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

The 20-year-old rookie has been on the shelf for two months due to a torn sagittal band on his left ring finger, but he looked healthy while going 3-for-11 during a three-game rehab assignment. Griffin has acclimated well in his first taste of the majors this year, posting a .276/.332/.404 slash line with five homers, 20 steals, 25 RBI and 35 runs through his first 59 big-league contests. He is starting at shortstop and batting sixth in Friday's series opener against the Angels.

The Cardinals expect to activate Winn (thumb) from the 10-day injured list sometime during this weekend's series in Colorado, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Winn's return was considered for a series this week versus the Dodgers, but the Cardinals opted to have him go through another round of workouts instead. The shortstop could be activated as soon as Friday. Winn is working his way back from a small fracture in his left thumb.

Pratt is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Cubs.

Pratt manned shortstop in the first three games of the series, but he'll take a seat in the finale. Joey Ortiz will fill in at shortstop for the Brewers, while David Hamilton will cover third base.

The Pirates are expected to activate Griffin (finger) from the 60-day injured list Friday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Griffin has rejoined the Pirates in Pittsburgh after going 3-for-11 in three rehab games, and he will return to the active roster Friday on the first day he's eligible. The rookie shortstop has been sidelined for the past two months with a torn sagittal band on his left ring finger. With Griffin taking back over at shortstop this weekend, Jacob Gonzalez could be mixed in some at third base down the stretch for the Pirates.

Betts went 2-for-6 with a two-run home run and a double in Wednesday's 8-6 extra-inning loss to the Cardinals.

Betts' hitting streak is up to nine games, and this was his third multi-hit effort in that span. The shortstop has gone 12-for-38 (.316) during the streak, though this was his first homer since Aug. 19 in Colorado. On the year, he's batting .244 with a .724 OPS, 17 homers, 53 RBI, 53 runs scored, 19 doubles and one stolen base over 102 games.

Gonzalez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Giants.

It's the first time in the second half that Gonzalez hasn't started at shortstop for the Pirates when the opposition had a righty on the bump. Jared Triolo will handle shortstop Wednesday as the Giants send righty Landen Roupp to the hill.

Winn (thumb) could return from the 10-day injured list as soon as Thursday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Winn went through a full workout at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday. If he recovers well, he could return to the Cardinals' active roster for Thursday's series finale. Winn is working his way back from a small fracture in his left thumb.

Lindor went 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Rays.

The star shortstop carried the Mets' offense on the night, leading off the game with a solo shot against former teammate Freddy Peralta before drawing a bases-loaded walk in the seventh off Tyler Wells. Lindor has gone yard three times in the last eight games, giving him 15 homers on the season, but he's managed just a .175/.254/.368 slash line over his last 15 contests as New York limps to the finish line of a disappointing campaign.

Kim will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Nationals.

Kim made one start in a 21-game span after coming off the injured list in early August, but the start Wednesday will be his fifth across the last seven contests. The veteran infielder went 3-for-3 at the dish Tuesday, which was his first multi-hit effort of the season.