MLB Player News

Bell went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to Atlanta.

He took Kyle Wright deep in the bottom of the first inning for his 13th long ball of the season, but the Nationals were already in a 2-0 hole. Bell snapped a brief nine-game homer drought in which he's hit only .135 (5-for-37) with zero RBI, but on the year he still sports a .300/.380/.488 slash line, with the batting average and OBP both tracking to be career bests.

Alonso went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run, a hit-by-pitch and an additional run scored in Thursday's 8-0 win over the Cubs.

His eighth-inning long ball Thursday was just his second homer in his last 17 games. He's added four doubles during that stretch, but Alonso's overall production has cooled off a bit -- he's batting .215 (14-for-65) with five walks and 15 strikeouts in that span. For the season, the first baseman still has a hearty .268/.344/.527 slash line with 24 homers, 74 RBI, 50 runs scored and two stolen bases through 89 contests.

Flores was scratched from Thursday's lineup against the Brewers due to right calf tightness, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Flores was originally slated to start at third base and hit third in the order. There's no word on the severity of the issue, but David Villar will enter the lineup to hit sixth and man the hot corner.

Cron (wrist) is starting Thursday against the Padres.

Cron was out of the lineup for four of the last five games while dealing with a wrist injury, but he appeared off the bench in Wednesday's win and went 1-for-1 with a run. He's starting at first base and batting cleanup Thursday.

Montero was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Thursday, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

Montero will head back to Triple-A after he spent a little over three weeks with the big-league club. While in the majors, the 23-year-old went 4-for-21 with two doubles and three runs scored over seven games. Kris Bryant was activated from the paternity list Thursday and will take Montero's spot on the active roster.

Flores hit a solo home run as a pinch hitter in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Flores tied the game at 3-3 with his eighth-inning blast. That allowed him to extend his hitting streak to five games, a span in which he's gone 9-for-20 (.450) with four long balls, nine RBI, five runs scored and three doubles. The infielder is up to a .254/.340/.452 slash line with 13 homers, 50 RBI, 45 runs scored and 17 doubles in 82 contests overall. Flores has started to infringe on Thairo Estrada's role at second base, which occasionally bumps Brandon Crawford from the lineup at shortstop against southpaws.

Beaty (shoulder) began a minor-league rehab assignment July 4 and has gone 2-for-15 with three walks across six games between the Padres' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate and Triple-A El Paso.

Beaty hasn't played since Sunday, but it's unclear if he's part of the Padres' taxi squad in Colorado or if he was pulled off the rehab assignment after aggravating his left shoulder injury. The 29-year-old is on the 60-day injured list and hasn't seen game action for the big club since May 7.

Olson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Mets.

All three Atlanta runs scored on solo shots, with Olson's in the sixth inning off Chris Bassitt getting the team on the board. The first baseman has homered in back-to-back games and three times in his last six, and on the year he sports a .251/.340/.476 slash line with 15 home runs, 40 runs and 52 RBI through 90 contests.

Cooper (knee) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Pirates, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Cooper will be on the bench for a second straight game with a bruised left knee. The 31-year-old was named a first-time All-Star earlier this week, so he'll likely do everything in his power to get back in the lineup at some point over the Marlins' final three contests of the first half to ensure he's able to play in the Midsummer Classic. Avisail Garcia will serve as Miami's designated hitter in place of Cooper on Thursday.

Freeman went 3-for-3 with a double, a run, a hit-by-pitch and a walk in Wednesday's 7-6 victory versus St. Louis.

Freeman reached base in all five of his plate appearances Wednesday after notching four hits in each of his previous two games. Over his past three contests, he's gone 11-for-13 with two homers, three doubles, four runs and four RBI. The scorching stretch has moved his season slash line to .317/.394/.517.