

St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz (back) will make what the team hopes is one final minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday when the RedBirds visit Iowa. Manager Oliver Marmol said Matz's target will be around 90 pitches, the same as his previous start. He allowed four runs (one homer) on nine hits, one walk and a hit batter on Aug. 21 for Memphis, throwing 85 pitches (58 strikes) while striking out three in five innings. The veteran southpaw hasn't pitched for the Cardinals since April 30 due to persistent back pain. Matz is expected to rejoin the starting rotation once he finishes his rehab, but there's no easy answer to which spot he'll fill. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak mentioned the possibility of a six man rotation down the stretch, which might be the easiest answer.


St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (finger) will not need surgery on his broken finger, according to manager Oliver Marmol. However, Contreras will be no impact for three weeks. The Cardinals have five weeks left in the regular season. The door is open for a return, but Contreras has no room for a setback along the way. The 32-year-old veteran backstop suffered a fractured right middle finger over the weekend when he was hit by a pitch and has already been placed on the injured list. Even if he does make it back at the tail end of the season, he's not going to have much time left to provide meaningful numbers for fantasy managers. Pedro Pages will now operate as St. Louis' primary catcher, with Ivan Herrera backing him up. It's a huge loss for the Cardinals as they battle for the final wild-card spot in the National League.


Detroit Tigers reliever Tyler Holton needed only 11 pitches to record his fifth save in Monday's 6-3 win at the Chicago White Sox. Holton did not record a strikeout while throwing eight strikes in a performance that marked his first save since August 6. He is 5-1 with a 2.38 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in 52 appearances, striking out 59 and walking 13 in 75 2/3 innings. Holton has 11 holds, making him a solid option in leagues that use holds as a category. Jason Foley gets the bulk of the save opportunities but Holton's overall ability to record outs is attractive in AL-only leagues and deeper leagues.


Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green nailed down his 14th save in Monday's 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox, concluding a game suspended on June 26. Green allowed one hit and struck out three batters in his 19-pitch (13 strikes) effort. The veteran reliever is 4-3 with a 1.69 ERA and 0.87 WHIP in 42 appearances, striking out 36 and walking 11 in 42 2/3 innings. He has yet to blow a save opportunity and should be a part of the pitching staff of fantasy managers as the Blue Jays have won five straight in a push to get their record to .500.

Houston Astros pitching prospect Colton Gordon was named Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week after a strong outing for Triple-A Sugar Land. Gordon spun six scoreless innings with two hits and a walk to go with 11 strikeouts in his latest outing. The 25-year-old left-hander is 7-1 this season with a 4.55 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. In 97 innings pitched, Gordon has 95 strikeouts. The Astros' No. 11 prospect has a 55-grade fastball and a 50-grade slider. With a strong season at Triple-A, Gordon could be looking at a promotion when rosters expand in September. If not, he has positioned himself nicely for a potential big-league debut next season.
