MLB Player News

Monasterio will sit Saturday against the Nationals.

Monasterio has settled into an everyday role in the second half, with Saturday's off day being just his third since the break. His bat has been sub-par for an everyday corner infielder, however, as his .270/.344/.369 slash line is good for a modest 97 wRC+. Josh Donaldson will take over at the hot corner Saturday.

Yelich (back) will sit Saturday against the Nationals.

Yelich returned to the lineup Friday after missing the previous six games due to back stiffness. His absence Saturday is due to the same issue, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, but with manager Craig Counsell saying merely, "I just don't think he's 100 percent," this looks more like a maintenance day than a setback. Between Yelich's star status, his history of back problems and the Brewers' 5.5-game lead atop the NL Central, it's likely the team will continue to be cautious with him over the last two weeks of the regular season. Mark Canha starts in left field Saturday.

Blankenhorn will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Brewers, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Prior to Saturday's game, Blankenhorn had started against every righty the Nationals had faced in September while sitting against all but one lefty, but his off day here comes against righty Corbin Burnes. Blankenhorn's .555 OPS through 10 games this season certainly doesn't make much of a case for a large role down the stretch, though he could continue to see the field on a regular basis due to Washington's lack of reliable alternatives. Jake Alu will be the left fielder Saturday.

Cave will be on the bench Saturday against St. Louis.

Cave has filled a platoon role for most of the second half, starting against most righties while sitting against every lefty, but that pattern may be changing. He's now sat for four straight games, two of which have come against right-handers, including Saturday's starter Miles Mikolas. As was the case Wednesday against righty Spencer Strider, it will be Brandon Marsh in left field and Johan Rojas in center.

Steer will sit Saturday against the Mets.

Steer owns an .837 OPS in the month of September and an .808 OPS on the year, but he'll hit the bench after starting 35 consecutive games. The timing of his off day is somewhat unusual given that he's homered in each of his last two games, but it seems to be merely a routine rest day.

Maile was scratched from the lineup Saturday against the Mets due to a bruised left hand.

Tyler Stephenson had been due for a day off but will instead start behind the plate. Assuming Maile's injury doesn't turn out to be anything worse than a bruise, he should be back in the lineup soon.

Baty (groin) remains on the bench Saturday against Cincinnati.

Baty is dealing with a groin strain, which is considered mild but is costing him key at-bats as he looks to make his case for a starting role next season. The battle for playing time at the hot corner in Queens seems wide open, with both Baty (.596 OPS in 97 games) and Mark Vientos (.588 OPS in 51 games) failing to stake their claim. Fellow rookie Ronny Mauricio (.743 OPS in 11 games) will start at third base Saturday.

Nootbaar will not start Saturday's game against the Phillies, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Nootbaar hits the bench against lefty Ranger Suarez, but that isn't necessarily a sign that he's going to be platooned over the final two weeks of the season, as he was in the lineup against the previous two southpaws the Cardinals faced. He does own a much better wRC+ against righties (135) than against lefties (96) and has struck out 25.9 percent of the time against southpaws compared to just 17.4 percent against right-handers, so some platoon risk remains for next season. For now, it will be Tyler O'Neill, Tommy Edman and Jordan Walker across the outfielder for the Cardinals.

De La Cruz (ankle) will be on the bench for Saturday's game against Atlanta, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

De La Cruz left Friday's series opener with right ankle discomfort, an issue which is evidently serious enough to cost him at least one start. Jon Berti will be Saturday's left fielder.

Cooper will sit Saturday against Oakland.

Cooper owns a .485 OPS over his last 12 games, well below the .869 OPS he managed over his first 18 games as a Padre. Ji-Man Choi will handle first base Saturday.