MLB Player News

Heyward was scratched from Tuesday's lineup against the Angels due to lower-back tightness.

With two days remaining before Opening Day, it's unclear what impact Heyward's back will have on his availability for Thursday, but the Dodgers should provide more details in the near future. Teoscar Hernandez will shift from left to right field in Heyward's absence, and Chris Taylor will fill the void in left.

The Marlins placed Brazoban (personal) on the restricted list Tuesday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Brazoban missed all of spring training and remains in the Dominican Republic after he was unable to acquire a work visa that would have allowed him to re-enter the United States. The Marlins haven't provided a timeline for when Brazoban's visa issue might be resolved. His placement on the restricted list will open a spot on Miami's 40-man roster, which may be used on another reliever to replace Brazoban.

The Cardinals placed Edman (wrist) on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

It's been known for nearly two weeks that Edman would be starting the season on the injured list, and the move is now official just ahead of Opening Day. The 28-year-old has been taking part in baseball activities, but it's unclear how long he's expected to be sidelined. Prospect Victor Scott will begin the campaign as St. Louis' primary center fielder with Lars Nootbaar (ribs) and Dylan Carlson (shoulder) also on the shelf.

The Cardinals placed Nootbaar on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with two fractured left ribs, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Nootbaar has been held out since early March due to the injury. He resumed taking swings against soft-toss pitching Monday, and the Cardinals are optimistic that the 26-year-old won't need to spend much longer than the 10-day minimum on the IL.

The Cardinals placed Middleton on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right forearm strain, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Middleton has been shut down from throwing since March 16, and although he's slated to begin his throwing progression soon, his absence will officially extend into the regular season. An exact timetable for the right-hander's return is unclear, but a better picture should emerge as he gets further along in his recovery process.

The Cardinals placed Gray (hamstring) on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

St. Louis already confirmed Gray would begin the season on the injured list, and that transaction is now official. The right-hander is scheduled to pitch in a minor-league game Thursday as he continues to ramp up his throwing program, and he could be ready to join the Cardinals' rotation in the second week of April when first eligible.

Fernandez appears to have won a spot on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster after the team optioned John King to Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

A Rule 5 pick in December, Fernandez posted a 3.72 ERA with six strikeouts and one walk across 9.2 innings in Grapefruit League play. The right-hander generated a bloated 6.46 ERA across 30.2 innings with Triple-A Worcester in 2023, but the Cardinals apparently saw enough this spring to invest a roster spot in him and thereby prevent Fernandez from reverting to the Red Sox organization. He and King had been competing for the final spot in the St. Louis bullpen, but barring any outside additions ahead of Thursday's season opener versus the Dodgers, Fernandez will soon make his MLB debut.

The Cardinals optioned Pages to Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Pages slashed .240/.367/.440 across 30 plate appearances this spring, but he will have to keep waiting for his call up to the majors with Willson Contreras and Ivan Herrera already in the Cards' catcher room. The 25-year-old Pages will be returning to Memphis for the first time since 2022, when he turned in a .640 OPS and 17 RBI across 172 plate appearances.

The Cardinals placed Rom (biceps) on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The left-hander recently took a step back from throwing due to a biceps injury and will be sidelined for at least the first couple weeks of the season. The specifics of the injury remain unclear, so Rom could be unavailable beyond the 15-day minimum.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Tuesday that King will be optioned to Triple-A Memphis, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

King was scheduled to face hitters Sunday at the Cardinals' spring training complex but was unable to due to illness, and the left-hander did not travel with the team to Arizona for its two exhibition games against the Cubs on Monday and Tuesday. The 29-year-old struggled early in spring training, but he allowed no runs in his final three Grapefruit League outings before the illness surfaced. With King heading to the minors, Ryan Fernandez will nab the final bullpen spot on the Opening Day roster.