MLB: Braves solve problem at first base by acquiring Matt Adams from Cardinals

The Atlanta Braves have found their fill-in for injured star Freddie Freeman, acquiring first baseman Matt Adams and cash from the St. Louis Cardinals for minor league infielder Juan Yepez.

The deal came three days after the Braves lost Freeman to a broken wrist. Freeman was expected to miss 10 weeks after being hit by a pitch from Toronto’s Aaron Loup. Freeman was leading the majors in slugging percentage when he was hurt, hitting .341 with 14 home runs.

Braves general manager John Coppolella said Adams will be valuable to the Braves beyond the time being.

“He’s also played left field,” Coppolella said. “He’s a good bat off the bench. He will help us even when Freddie Freeman comes back to the Braves.”

Adams said he’s looking at the trade as the best thing for his career.

“I’m going to be able to play every day,” Adams said. “But I can’t say enough about the Cardinals and thank the Cardinals for the opportunities they gave me. It was a great run.”

The 28-year-old Adams made his major league debut with St. Louis in 2012. He is a career .271 hitter with 56 home runs and 271 RBIs.

Adams hit .292 with a homer and seven RBIs coming off the bench this season and playing some in the outfield.

Keuchel on DL; Price on way back

The Houston Astros have placed ace Dallas Keuchel on the 10-day disabled list because of a pinched nerve in his neck, while Red Sox ace David Price is scheduled to make one more minor league rehab start with triple-A Pawtucket on Wednesday before he rejoins the Boston to make his long-awaited season debut.

Keuchel, the 2015 American League Cy Young Award winner, has brushed off a tough 2016 season by opening this year 7-0 with a 1.84 earned-run average to help the Astros to the best record in the majors.

The Houston left-hander has the lowest ERA in the majors and his wins are the most in the AL and tied for most overall.

The move is retroactive to May 17, which means he might only miss one start.

To take his place on the roster the Astros recalled left-hander Ashur Tolliver from triple-A Fresno. He has a 2.70 ERA in 10 relief appearances for the Grizzlies this season.

Red Sox manager John Farrell said he and Price spoke by phone Saturday morning and agreed one more start would be best as the left-hander works back from a strained pitching elbow.

Price pitched Friday night in Buffalo for triple-A Pawtuckett and then returned to Boston and was working out at Fenway Park on Saturday.

Price will throw a light bullpen Sunday after Farrell said he “threw long-toss aggressively” during Saturday’s session.

“I feel great right now, I definitely want to get back out there and I’ll leave that decision to management,” Price said of a return to Boston.

Etc.

The Atlanta Braves have added bullpen depth by acquiring right-hander Enrique Burgos from the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash considerations. The 26-year-old Burgos was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks this week after posting a 6.23 ERA at triple-A Reno this season. Burgos will report to triple-A Gwinnett. To clear a spot on their 40-man roster, the Braves transferred right-hander Chaz Roe to the 60-day disabled list. Burgos had a 5.27 ERA in 73 games with Arizona in the 2015-16 seasons. He had three saves in eight opportunities in the two seasons. The Braves also placed left-hander Eric O’Flaherty on the 10-day disabled list with a lower back strain and recalled right-hander Luke Jackson from Gwinnett. …

The game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs on Saturday afternoon has been rained out. The game will be made up at 1:20 p.m. CDT on July 6. … The Minnesota Twins have postponed their game against the Kansas City Royals because of rain, prompting a doubleheader Sunday to finish the series.

UPDATES:

6:10 p.m.: This article has been updated with news about the trade between the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals.

1:30 p.m.: This article has been updated with news that David Price will make one more rehab start and that the Atlanta Braves made a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

This article was originally published at 10:45 a.m.