MLB Player News

Herrera is absent from the lineup for Monday's game against the Pirates.

Herrera had started every game since the last contest of the first half, but he will receive a well-earned break as the Cardinals open up a series versus the Pirates. The 25-year-old's absence from the lineup comes after he posted a meager .437 OPS across his last 17 contests. Willson Contreras will serve as the team's designated hitter Monday.

Winn (knee) will start at shortstop and bat second in Monday's game versus the Pirates.

Winn missed Sunday's 7-2 loss to the Rays and underwent an MRI earlier Monday while he manages nagging soreness in his left knee. The imaging revealed improvement in the condition of the knee from a previous MRI, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic, and Winn will continue to manage the issue on a day-to-day basis based on pain tolerance.

Beavers is not in the lineup for Monday's contest against the Red Sox.

Beavers started in each of the first eight games for the Orioles upon getting called up from Triple-A Norfolk on Aug. 16, but he will begin Monday's series opener on the bench. The Orioles faced all righties during those eight games and are going up against a left-handed opener in Brennan Bernardino on Monday, but the left-handed-hitting Beavers won't necessarily be deployed exclusively as a strong-side platoon player over the final five weeks of the season. Beavers will give up his spot in left field to Dylan Carlson on Monday.

Hamilton will start at second base and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Orioles, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Hamilton is slashing just .193/.252/.293 over 153 plate appearances on the season for Boston, but in spite of that lack of production, he seems to have temporarily captured a regular spot in the starting nine at the keystone when the Red Sox face right-handed pitching. With Wilyer Abreu's (calf) recent move to the injured list allowing Ceddanne Rafaela to shift back to the outfield, Hamilton started in the Red Sox's previous two matchups versus righties and went 4-for-8 with a triple, two walks, four runs and one stolen base between those contests. Hamilton's track record in the majors suggests he shouldn't be expected to offer much impact with the bat moving forward, but he could be a decent source of steals while he's playing at least somewhat regularly.

Gonzalez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Orioles, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Gonzalez appeared to briefly displace Abraham Toro on the depth chart at first base about a week ago, and even though Toro has since been outrighted to Triple-A Worcester, the Red Sox's recent signing of Nathaniel Lowe appears to have prevented Gonzalez from settling into an everyday role. The 28-year-old will hit the bench for the Red Sox's third straight matchup versus a righty starter (Tomoyuki Sugano) and looks as though he'll be limited to the short side of a platoon with Lowe for the foreseeable future.

The Cardinals recalled Graceffo from Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

Graceffo has put up a 5.81 ERA and 26:7 K:BB across 31 innings in the majors this season. The right-hander will give manager Oliver Marmol a fresh bullpen arm for the start of a series against the Pirates that begins Monday.

Narvaez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Orioles, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Narvaez started behind the plate in the final two games of the Red Sox's weekend series versus the Yankees, so he's likely just getting a breather Monday. Connor Wong will spell Narvaez at catcher in the series opener versus Washington.

The Cardinals optioned Granillo to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

Granillo struggled in his most recent stint with the big club, yielding seven runs with a 7:5 K:BB over 7.1 innings. He'll cede his spot in the bullpen to Gordon Graceffo, who was recalled from Triple-A.

Megill (elbow) will make another rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

The Mets had left open the possibility that Megill would return from the 60-day injured list and rejoin their rotation Friday against the Marlins, but they've elected to give the right-hander one more rehab start in order to extend his pitch count to around 80. Working his way back from a sprained UCL in his right elbow, Megill has been superb in three rehab outings between Syracuse and Double-A Binghamton, spinning 10 scoreless frames with a 17:2 K:BB.

Wells is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals.

Wells will rest Monday after he caught the final three games of the Yankees' weekend series against the Red Sox and went a collective 1-for-9 at the plate. Ben Rice will handle catching duties in Wells' stead as the Yankees kick off a three-game set versus Washington.