MLB Player News

Herrera (knee) hopes to begin a rehab assignment May 1, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Herrera is making good progress in his recovery from a left knee bone bruise, having run, hit and caught off a pitching machine this week without any setbacks. He should require only a few rehab games before returning to the Cardinals' lineup.

Martini is not in the lineup for Friday's contest versus the Reds.

It's southpaw Andrew Abbott on the bump for the Reds, so the left-handed-hitting Martini will begin the festivities on the bench. Jordan Beck and Mickey Moniak will handle corner-outfield duties for the Rockies.

Farmer is absent from the lineup for Friday's game versus the Reds.

The Rockies will go with Adael Amador at second base and Aaron Schunk at shortstop. Farmer is 0-for-16 at the plate over his last five contests.

Burleson is not in the lineup for Friday's contest against the Brewers.

The Cardinals plan to give Nolan Gorman -- who is at designated hitter Friday -- a run of playing time, and it could come mostly at the expense of Burleson. The 26-year-old Burleson is hitting .276 on the young season but has yet to homer.

Donovan (rib) will start at second base and bat third in Friday's game versus the Brewers.

Donovan missed the previous two contests after he had a rib pop out of place, but he's back in there for the start of the series against the Brewers. The 28-year-old will carry a .925 OPS into play Friday.

The Cardinals optioned Fernandez to Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

Fernandez pitched well in his rookie season in 2024 and came into 2025 as a setup man for the Cardinals, but he's really struggled, allowing 13 runs (11 earned) with a 7:5 K:BB over 8.2 innings. Riley O'Brien is taking his spot on the roster and in the bullpen.

The Cardinals recalled O'Brien from Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

He'll absorb the roster spot vacated by Ryan Fernandez, who was optioned to Memphis. O'Brien has yielded three earned runs while striking out 14 over seven innings with Memphis this season. He'll look to help out a struggling St. Louis bullpen.

Weathers (forearm) will begin a rehab assignment Sunday, Fish on the Farm reports.

It's not clear what affiliate Weathers will be assigned to, but he is ready to pitch in games after suffering a left flexor strain late in spring training. The left-hander had been hoping to rejoin the Marlins' rotation in the first week of May, and while that might be optimistic, his recovery shouldn't take much longer than that. Weathers is coming off something of a breakout 2024 in which he posted a 3.63 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over 16 starts.

The Padres recalled Bergert from Triple-A El Pason on Friday.

Kyle Hart was demoted to El Paso on Thursday with the Padres having three scheduled off days over the next two weeks, eliminating their need for a fifth starter in the short term. Bergert will instead provide depth in the bullpen. The right-hander is one of the organization's top prospects and was in the rotation at Triple-A, so a good performance could put him in the mix for a starting job once the team's schedule gets tighter.

McNeil will start at second base and bat eighth in Friday's contest versus the Nationals.

It will be the season debut for McNeil, who missed the first four weeks of the season with a right oblique strain. The 33-year-old will serve as the Mets' primary second baseman but is also expected to see some action in the outfield.