MLB Player News

Nootbaar (oblique) will remain on his rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield for at least a couple more days to work on his timing at the plate, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

The initial expectation was that Nootbaar would rejoin the Cardinals on the road for their weekend series against the Nationals, but he's evidently not satisfied with his swing and will work to fine-tune things for a bit longer. It now seems likely that Nootbaar will return July 9 when the Cardinals are back home.

Blackmon is not in the lineup for Friday's contest versus the Royals.

Tough lefty Cole Ragans will be on the hill for Kansas City, so the left-handed hitting Blackmon will begin the contest on the bench. Elias Diaz is getting a start at designated hitter while Jacob Stallings does the catching.

Doyle (calf) will start in center field and bat fifth in Friday's game versus the Royals.

He didn't play in Thursday's game against the Brewers after fouling a ball off his calf the day before, but Doyle is ready to roll for the series opener versus Kansas City. Doyle is one of four players this season with 10-plus home runs and 20-plus stolen bases.

O'Brien (forearm) will throw a live batting practice session Saturday and will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Springfield on Tuesday if the live BP session goes well, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

O'Brien suffered a setback in his recovery June 23, but he's nearing a return to game action, with Saturday's live BP his last checkpoint to clear before starting a rehab assignment. O'Brien has been shelved since March 31 but is on track for a late July return.

Clemens is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Atlanta.

Clemens will dodge a matchup with southpaw Max Fried on Friday, giving way to Alec Bohm at first base. Clemens is batting 4-for-14 with a pair of doubles across his last four games.

Marsh is not in the lineup for Friday's game in Atlanta.

Marsh will begin this game on the bench as Atlanta sends left-hander Max Fried to the hill. The Phillies will go with right-handed batters both in left field (Cristian Pache) and center field (Johan Rojas).

The Reds designated Jordan for assignment Friday.

Jordan will be the odd man out in the Reds' flurry of roster moves Friday, giving up his spot on the 40-man roster to clear the way for Austin Wynns and Edwin Rios to join the MLB roster. Although Jordan owns a .842 OPS at Triple-A Louisville, he went just 1-for-10 in seven games with the Reds.

The Reds selected Rios' contract from Triple-A Louisville on Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Rios has been at Louisville all season, where he's put up an .826 OPS with 11 home runs over 50 contests. The 30-year-old is capable of handling the corner infield and corner outfield spots, but it seems unlikely he'll garner much playing time with Cincinnati.

The Reds selected Wynns' contract from Triple-A Louisville on Friday.

Wynns was DFA'd on Tuesday but will rejoin the active roster Friday after Luke Maile (back) was placed on the 10-day IL. He'll serve as Tyler Stephenson's primary backup while Maile is shelved.

Mailey was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday due to a herniated disc in his back.

Maile was removed from Thursday's contest with what was initially deemed a hip injury, but further evaluation revealed he's dealing with a herniated disc. The injury and subsequent IL stint means that Maile won't be eligible to return until after the All-Star break. Austin Wynns was brought up from Triple-A and should operate as Tyler Stephenson's primary backup.