MLB Player News

Saggese went 2-for-2 with a double, a walk, one RBI, one stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 10-7 loss to the Rockies.

Saggese has hit safely in six straight games, four of which have been multi-hit efforts. He's also logged three home runs, eight RBI and two steals in that span. The infielder's playing time is likely to drop once Masyn Winn (thumb) returns, but Saggese has put together a nice audition that could help him stay in the Cardinals' long-term plans. Over 39 games this year, Saggese is batting .260 with a .772 OPS, four homers, three steals, 12 RBI, 18 runs scored, four doubles and one triple.

Tovar went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and two runs scored in Saturday's 10-7 win over the Cardinals.

Tovar's place in the lineup has been slipping lately -- he's started just five of the Rockies' last eight games, and in only one of the four games against right-handed starters in that span. The shortstop has gone 10-for-30 (.333) with three RBI over his last 12 contests, but that's been a brief bright spot in an otherwise disappointing year. Tovar is batting .213 with a .596 OPS, seven steals, 10 home runs, 41 RBI and 46 runs scored over 130 contests this season.

Winn (thumb) intends to return from the 10-day injured list for Saturday's game in Colorado, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The Cardinals put Winn through a full pregame workout Friday, and as long as he recovers from that with no issues, he'll be in the lineup for Saturday's contest versus the Rockies. Winn has missed the last two weeks of action with a small fracture in his left thumb.

De La Cruz went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 10-7 loss to the Brewers.

De La Cruz was involved early, delivering a run on a first-inning single and scoring a run in the third. He returned to play shortstop for the first time since sustaining a quadriceps injury last Sunday. De La Cruz didn't miss any time due to the quad and operated as the designated hitter in Cincinnati's previous three games.

Griffin went 0-for-3 with a run scored Friday against the Angels.

Griffin was activated from the 60-day injured list Friday and hit sixth in the order. He reached base on a fielder's choice in the second inning and scored from first base on a double by Jake Mangum, recording the only run of the game by either team. Griffin should be a mainstay in the Pirates' lineup, and he'll likely be aggressive on the basepaths even if he starts slowly at the plate while shaking off some rust.

Miller (back) will play five innings at shortstop for Single-A Clearwater on Saturday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Miller has been shelved by a back injury since spring training, which prompted him to undergo a minor procedure in early June. He's seemingly progressed enough in his recovery to embark on a rehab assignment, and he'll likely have his workload managed to avoid a setback. It's unclear whether Miller will be back with Triple-A Lehigh Valley before the end of the regular season.

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.