MLB Player News

The Cardinals are hopeful O'Brien (shoulder) will be available to pitch Friday against the Giants, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

O'Brien hasn't pitched in a week due to lingering right shoulder soreness, but he played catch earlier this week and could be cleared for game action after the team's off day Thursday. The 30-year-old collected two saves and three holds in August and boasts a 1.69 ERA and 35:17 K:BB over 37.1 innings this season.

Kim went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's win over the Cubs.

The 29-year-old clubbed the first pitch he saw from Drew Pomeranz in the seventh inning over the left-field fence, erasing a 1-0 deficit in an eventual 5-1 win. Incredibly, it was the first home run by an Atlanta shortstop this season, as the team has gotten a league-low .535 OPS at the position in 2025. The long ball was the third of the year in 26 games for Kim, who should handle starting duties the rest of September after making his Atlanta debut Tuesday.

Vesia (oblique) struck out one in a perfect inning in his first rehab appearance with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

Vesia has missed the last two weeks of action with a right oblique strain but didn't seem to show any rust in his first rehab outing. The reliever could make one more rehab appearance before being activated from the 15-day injured list on Sunday, the first day he's eligible.

Chapman went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs, a double, a walk, two total runs and four total RBI in a 10-8 win against the Rockies on Wednesday.

Chapman was technically suspended for one game by MLB on Wednesday, but he was able to play since he chose to appeal the suspension. That turned out to benefit the Giants greatly, as Chapman recorded three extra-base hits, including two homers. Chapman's long balls Wednesday pushed him to 20 on the season, a mark he's now reached in four of his past five campaigns.

Marquez allowed four runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out two batters over five innings in a no-decision against San Francisco on Wednesday.

Marquez seemed destined for a loss when the Giants scored four times over the first three innings, but Colorado's offense plated five runs across the fourth and fifth frames to take him off the hook. It was nonetheless a rough outing for the veteran hurler, who has now given up 12 runs over 9.1 innings since returning from the injured list Aug. 29. Marquez has given up four or more earned runs 10 times in 22 starts this season, which helps explain his 6.19 season ERA.

Walker earned a save against the Rockies on Wednesday, allowing one hit while striking out one batter over a scoreless two-thirds of an inning.

It didn't seem like Walker would be needed with the Giants beginning the bottom of the ninth inning with a 10-5 lead, but he was called upon to put out a fire after Colorado loaded the bases with one out. Walker gave up a sacrifice fly followed by a two-run double, but none of those runs were charged to his ledger. Since he entered with the tying run on deck, Walker was able to get credit for a save by finishing out the contest despite allowing his team's lead to shrink. He's now completed 10 straight scoreless appearances, posting a 0.86 WHIP and 12:0 K:BB over 9.1 frames during that span.

Ray allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out eight batters over 4.2 innings in a no-decision against Colorado on Wednesday.

Ray was staked to a 4-0 lead through three frames, but he gave up the advantage when the Rockies scored five times across the fourth and fifth innings. The lefty did manage an impressive 19 whiffs and eight punchouts, but he's now allowed 11 runs (10 earned) over nine innings across his past two games to nudge his season ERA up to 3.31. Ray will look to post a better line in his next start, which lines up to come against Arizona early next week.

Gorman went 3-for-3 with a solo home run in a 5-1 win against the Athletics on Wednesday.

Gorman singled in his first two plate appearances before launching a 381-foot solo homer in the seventh inning. The infielder snapped an 11-game stretch without a multi-hit performance, and he had batted a paltry .135 (5-for-37) during that span. Gorman isn't lighting the world on fire with a .726 OPS on the campaign, but he has offered a bit of pop with 14 homers and 44 RBI across 338 plate appearances.

Contreras went 3-for-4 with a triple and four RBI in Wednesday's 5-1 win against the Athletics.

Contreras plated St. Louis' first two runs with a single in the third inning. He capped the Cardinals' scoring in the contest with a two-run triple in the eighth. Contreras finished with his first multi-hit game over his past 10 contests, and his four RBI on Wednesday were as many as he'd recorded during that 10-game stretch. Contreras is up to 78 RBI on the campaign, establishing a new career-high mark.

Romero earned a save against the Athletics on Wednesday, allowing two hits while striking out one batter over 1.2 scoreless innings.

Romero entered with one out in the top of the eighth frame when St. Louis led by two runs. He allowed a single to the first batter he faced before retiring the next two hitters. Romero then returned for the ninth and gave up a leadoff single, but that was quickly wiped out on a double play. Romero subsequently wrapped things up to finish with his seventh save of the season, four of which have been longer than an inning in length. With Riley O'Brien (shoulder) currently on the shelf, Romero is the clear top option for save chances for the Cardinals.