MLB Player News

Granted, if the Mets make a play for Starlin Castro or some other high-profile shortstop this offseason, all bets are off, but Wilmer Flores' two-homer performance Tuesday against the Marlins was just the latest indication that the 23-year-old is on the verge of turning the corner.

And that's an exciting prospect for Fantasy owners now that he's proven at least competent at the weakest position in the game.

In his last 18 games, he's batting .303 with five home runs and a .984 OPS. He has struck out just twice in 66 at-bats during that stretch. In 43 games since the All-Star break (or since his return from the minors, more accurately), he has struck out just nine times in 140 at-bats.

That was his calling card in the minors, where he never struck out even 80 times in a season and was typically between 60 and 70. The high contact rate often resulted in a .300 batting average -- particularly in the upper levels, when he began to develop the power to hit 15-plus homers and 30-plus doubles.

It's a skill set similar to the one Edgardo Alfonzo brought with him to the majors in the late 90s. If you were playing Fantasy then, you'll probably remember he had a few years when he was a pretty stellar option even at the height of the steroids era. And he wasn't even a shortstop during that time.

Sleeper alert?

Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores has been tearing it up at the plate recently, but went downright hog-wild Tuesday night.

Flores achieved the first two-homer game of his career in a rout of Miami. He began his big night with an RBI double in the fourth inning, socked a three-run blast in the fifth and added a two-run shot in the seventh for six RBI. He is 8 for 15 with two homers and 10 RBI in the last four games combined.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto will take batting practice Tuesday for the first time since suffering a strained left quad in early July, manager Bryan Price told reporters.

Votto swung at soft toss in the batting cage Monday, and appears to be making steady progress in his recovery. He still hopes to return to action before the end of the season. 

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Reds, but not due to a setback with his back. Rizzo is getting a planned day off after making his return to the lineup following a three-week absence Monday.

He is expected back in the lineup as early as Wednesday's series finale.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who hasn't played since Aug. 26 because of a back strain, was back in the lineup Monday against the Reds.

Rizzo at one point talked like he could miss the rest of the season with the injury but expressed optimism after picking up a bat last week. He was batting .289 (48 for 166) with 12 home runs in his final 42 games before the injury.

According to MLB.com, Reds first baseman Joey Votto was scheduled to swing at underhand flips in a batting cage Sunday, the latest step in his rehabilitation from a strained left quadriceps that has sidelined him since July 8.

"Getting in there, it's the first time I'll get to work in the cage with [hitting coaches] Don Long and Lee Tinsley. That's the final step before taking batting practice on the field," Votto said.

Votto says he's made "tremendous progress" and still hopes to return before the end of the season. Hitting flips is supposed to up the intensity he puts on his leg.

"It's day-to-day, station-to-station," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "Everything he's been doing has been increased effort from when he takes ground balls, moving laterally side-to-side, the running -- it's just a progression."

MLB.com reports that Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is looking to make his return to the Cubs' lineup on Monday, when they open up a home series against the Reds. Rizzo has missed 17 games with a back strain, and he was out of the starting lineup again for Sunday's tilt at the Pirates.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo remains out of the starting lineup Saturday.

Rizzo has been sidelined since Aug. 26 due to a back strain, and he may end up missing the remainder of the season. He has hit 278/.375/.514 with 30 home runs and 71 RBI in 486 at-bats.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo hoped he could return to the lineup for the weekend series in Pittsburgh, but it won't be Friday night. He remains sidelined with a strained back.

Speculation seems to have cooled that Rizzo will miss the rest of the season, however. He has been out since Aug. 26.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto has taken grounders this week, but he remains without a timetable to return from the disabled list, MLB.com reports.

"I can't answer those questions yet. It's not a short distance," manager Bryan Price said. "We have a long way to go, not necessarily in time but as far as things to accomplish -- hitting live BP, running the bases, seeing live pitching, doing anything we can to simulate a game environment. We haven't even talked about whether there is a trip to instructional league or simulated games. We haven't even gotten to that point because there is no reason to invest in that unless we're getting close to a possible activation. If we get to a point where we can realistically set those things up as a precursor to his activation, we'll see."

Votto went on the disabled list July 8 for the second time this season due to a quad strain.