MLB Player News

Espinal (shin) will start at third base and bat eighth in Monday's game versus the Astros.

It will be the first start for Espinal since he fouled a ball off his left shin Friday, although he appeared as a pinch hitter each of the previous two days. With Espinal handling third base, Noelvi Marte is getting a breather.

Tatis (thigh) will be activated from the 60-day injured list and return to the Padres' lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Tatis last played for the Padres on June 21 before being shelved with a stress reaction in his right femur. He began taking live at-bats at the team's spring training complex in Arizona last week and looked and felt good enough to clear the way for his return this week. Since he hasn't played in more than two months and is skipping a rehab assignment, rust could certainly be a factor for Tatis, but his upside could make that a moot point for fantasy managers.

Gurriel (calf) is not in the lineup for Monday's game versus the Dodgers.

Gurriel's absence from the lineup isn't surprising after he exited Sunday's game against the Dodgers due to a left calf injury. He could be unavailable to play for a while, but more will be known regarding Gurriel's status after he undergoes imaging on the calf. Pavin Smith will start in left field for the Diamondbacks on Monday.

Matz will start Tuesday's game in Milwaukee, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Matz was activated from the 60-day injured list Sunday and was available out of the bullpen later that day for the Cardinals' 14-7 win over the Yankees. He was not used, however, and the team has opted to give him a spot start while they push other rotation members back. Matz seems likely to shift back to a relief role after Tuesday's outing, although it's possible he earns additional starts if he pitches well.

Yastrzemski went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Sunday's 7-5 loss to the Marlins.

The homer was Yastrzemski's 100th career long ball, a mark he's achieved over six seasons. It's been a down year in the power department for the outfielder -- he has 12 homers through 117 contests, his lowest total since hitting 10 in 54 games during the shortened 2020 campaign. Yastrzemski has picked up the pace recently, going 7-for-26 (.269) with three homers and five RBI over his last seven games, lifting his season slash line to .239/.309/.430 across 389 plate appearances.

Merrill went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in a 4-3 win against Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Merrill broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning with his two-run shot to center field. The long ball sent him off on a strong start to September after the rookie outfielder slashed .303/.343/.626 with seven home runs, 23 RBI, 18 runs and five steals in August. Per Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan, Merrill's 79 RBI on the campaign are tied with Benito Santiago for the most by a rookie in Padres franchise history.

Scott is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Brewers, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Scott had started in center field in each of the last four contests and 10 of the last 11, but he appears headed for a steep downturn in playing time after manager Oliver Marmol said that Michael Siani -- who was activated from the injured list Sunday -- would see the "bulk of the time in center field" moving forward, per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat. At least for the time being, the Cardinals will keep Scott in the fold in a bench role, where he could prove to be a weapon in the late innings thanks to his speed on the basepaths. Scott has slashed .231/.268/.385 with two home runs, three stolen bases, seven RBI and five runs in 24 games since getting recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Aug. 4.

Perkins is absent from the lineup for Monday's contest against the Cardinals.

Perkins had started each of the last three games and nine of the last 10 in center field, but he will begin Monday's series opener on the bench. Garrett Mitchell will be in center for Milwaukee.

Herrera is not in the lineup for Monday's game in Milwaukee.

In nine games since Willson Contreras (finger) went on the 10-day injured list, Herrera has started five games at catcher for the Cardinals, while Pedro Pages has garnered four starts. Pages will handle the catching duties for the series opener versus the Brewers.

Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's win over the Giants.

The 26-year-old was batting third as the DH and swiped his career-high 11th bag of the year in the sixth inning. Sanchez is on a roll heading into the final month of the season, slashing .281/.338/.516 over his last 18 games with four homers, three stolen bases, 10 runs and 15 RBI, and he's already established career highs in home runs (17), runs (46) and RBI (57) as well.