Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Shut down after forearm setback
Rotowire
O'Brien experienced renewed pain in his right forearm following his 20-pitch live batting practice session with Double-A Springfield on June 15 and underwent further testing and and consultation with Dr. Keith Meister, MLB.com reports.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol touched on O'Brien's status Saturday, noting that the right-hander's consultation with Dr. Meister isn't yet complete. A decision on O'Brien next step hasn't yet been decided, but surgery could be in the cards for the 29-year-old if Dr. Meister doesn't recommend rest and rehab as a treatment method. O'Brien won a spot in the Cardinals' Opening Day bullpen coming out of spring training but made just one appearance before landing on the injured list with a right flexor tendon strain.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Pedro Pages: Steps in as top backstop
Rotowire
Pages will start at catcher and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Giants.
Pages had already worked his way into a regular role behind plate versus left-handed pitching while Ivan Herrera served as St. Louis' designated hitter in those matchups, but Pages will stick in the lineup against a right-hander (Logan Webb) on Sunday for the fourth straight contest. With Herrera going on the injured list Saturday with lower-back tightness, Pages will serve as the Cardinals' No. 1 backstop, but his reign atop the depth chart could be short-lived. Willson Contreras (forearm) made his fifth rehab appearance Saturday with Triple-A Memphis and could be ready to return from the 10-day IL and reclaim the No. 1 role for St. Louis as soon as Monday versus Atlanta.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Michael Siani: Sitting out Sunday
Rotowire
Siani (ribs) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against San Francisco.
X-rays on Siani's ribs came back negative after he left Saturday's 9-4 win following a diving catch, but the Cardinals will err on the side of caution and hold him out of Sunday's series finale. Brendan Donovan, Dylan Carlson and Alec Burleson will serve as St. Louis' starting outfielders while Siani sits.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Not starting Sunday
Rotowire
Arenado (forearm) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Giants.
Arenado exited early in Saturday's 9-4 win due to discomfort in his left forearm. According to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, Arenado received an injection to alleviate the pain, and the Cardinals are still waiting to see how the veteran third baseman responds to the shot until determining his availability for their upcoming three-game set with Atlanta that begins Monday. Brandon Crawford will pick up a start at the hot corner Sunday and bat eighth while Arenado rests.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Kyle Gibson: Confirmed for Tuesday
Rotowire
The Cardinals list Gibson (back) as their probable starter for Tuesday's game against Atlanta at Busch Stadium.
After coming off the bereavement list Wednesday, Gibson had been scheduled to start the Cardinals' series finale versus the Marlins later in the day, but he ended up being scratched shortly before opening pitch due to his back tightening up on him while he was going through his pregame routine. Matthew Liberatore was called upon for a spot start Wednesday in his stead, but Gibson looks like he'll be ready to go for his next turn through the Cardinals rotation. The veteran right-hander has submitted quality starts in three of his last five outings while turning in a 2.20 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over that stretch.
Winn went 3-for-5 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 9-4 win over the Giants.
Winn is batting .286 (22-for-77) over 19 contests in June, and he's notched four extra-base hits over his last nine games. The shortstop has taken over the leadoff spot on a nearly full-time basis, and it's because he's been one of the Cardinals' most consistent hitters this season. The 22-year-old is slashing .300/.344/.435 with four home runs, 27 RBI, 30 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 14 doubles and three triples over 68 games.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt: Reaches 10-homer mark
Rotowire
Goldschmidt went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 9-4 win over the Giants.
Goldschmidt is 8-for-26 (.308) with two homers during his six-game hitting streak. He helped the Cardinals keep pace early in this contest before they ran away with the lead at the end. The first baseman has endured a tough campaign with a .230/.300/.364 slash line, 10 homers, 31 RBI, 36 runs scored, three stolen bases and nine doubles over 73 games.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Homers again in win
Rotowire
Donovan went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a 9-4 win over the Giants on Saturday.
Donovan singled in the fifth inning and hit a solo home run off Giants reliever Luke Jackson in the seventh. Donovan is on fire, homering for the third time in four games and recording his third straight multi-hit effort. He has hit safely in 15 of 18 June contests with four long balls and 12 RBI. On the season, the 27-year-old is hitting .262 with eight home runs, 37 RBI and 34 runs scored in 275 at-bats.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Fills stat sheet in win
Rotowire
Burleson went 3-for-4 with two home runs, five RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base in a 9-4 win over the Giants on Saturday.
Burleson singled and scored in the first and then walked and stole a base in the third. The real damage came in his next two at-bats, as he hit a three-run home run in the fourth frame and a two-run blast in the sixth. This was the first two-homer game of Burleson's major-league career, and he now has six multi-hit efforts and seven home runs in June. The 25-year-old has been a steady source of production this season, hitting .281 with 12 home runs, 30 RBI and three steals over 235 at-bats.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Settles in to earn win
Rotowire
Mikolas (6-6) earned the win against the Giants on Saturday, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts over six innings.
Mikolas struggled early, allowing three runs in the first inning and another in the third. He bounced back with three perfect frames and departed with a 7-4 lead at the conclusion of the sixth. Mikolas broke a streak of five consecutive quality starts but was still able to earn his third victory in his past four starts. The 35-year-old now owns a 4.68 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 67:17 K:BB and lines up to face the Reds next week.
X-rays on Siani's ribs came back clean after he was removed from Saturday's game against San Francisco, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Siani was lifted from Saturday's contest with bruised ribs after making a diving catch in the third inning. While it seems as though Siani has avoided significant injury, his availability for Sunday's series finale remains up in the air.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Dealing with left forearm soreness
Rotowire
Arenado was removed from Saturday's game against the Giants with left forearm discomfort, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Arenado was hit in the right arm by a pitch Wednesday but seems to be battling through some pain in his opposite forearm. Considering the Cardinals were ahead by five runs when Arenado was removed, it very well could be precautionary. Regardless, his status should be monitored ahead of Sunday's series finale.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Michael Siani: Exits game after diving catch
Rotowire
Siani was removed from Saturday's game against the Cubs due to bruised ribs.
Siani made a spectacular diving catch in the top of the third inning, but he came up in discomfort and left the game shortly thereafter. Dylan Carlson has taken over for Siani in center field.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Steven Matz: Shut down multiple weeks
Rotowire
Matz (back) suffered a setback during his most recent rehab start Sunday at Double-A Springfield and will be shut down from throwing for the next two weeks, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Matz reported soreness in his back during the third start of his rehab assignment. Though the veteran southpaw looked to be on the cusp of a return from the 15-day injured list, the setback will result in Matz having to restart his throwing program once the two-week shutdown period is over. According to Woo, the Cardinals estimate that Matz could return within 4-to-6 weeks in a best-case scenario, meaning that he can be ruled out through the All-Star break.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Back in lineup
Rotowire
Arenado (elbow) is starting at third base and batting fifth Saturday against the Giants, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Arenado suffered a bruised elbow after getting hit by a pitch during Wednesday's contest and said after the game that his goal was to return Saturday. After a few days of rest, the 33-year-old third baseman will achieve his goal and return to face the Giants with former teammate Jordan Hicks on the mound. Arenado has slashed .270/.333/.365 with six RBI across 72 plate appearances since the beginning of June.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Keynan Middleton: Moves to 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Cardinals transferred Middleton (forearm) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Saturday.
Middleton underwent season-ending surgery June 11 to repair the flexor tendon in his right forearm, so his move to the 60-day IL comes as little surprise. He will give up his 40-man roster spot for Nick Raposo, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Nick Raposo: Selected from Memphis
Rotowire
The Cardinals selected Raposo's contract from Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.
With Ivan Herrera (back) headed to the injured list, the Cardinals will call upon Raposo to give them additional depth behind the plate. The 26-year-old backstop has slashed just .187/.241/.323 through 167 plate appearances in the minors and is unlikely to see much playing time behind Pedro Pages while Herrera is out. Keynan Middleton (forearm) was transferred to the 60-day IL in a corresponding move.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Placed on IL
Rotowire
The Cardinals placed Herrera on the 10-day injured list Saturday with lower-back tightness.
Herrera's back issue forced him to miss both of St. Louis' last two games, and the Cardinals will now elect to shut him down for another week. Nick Raposo was selected from Triple-A Memphis to add depth behind the plate, though most starts will likely be given to Pedro Pages.
