MLB Player News

Rivas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

The Dodgers have brought left-handed pitchers to the hill for each of the final three games of the series, with the lefty-hitting Rivas having now taken a seat on each occasion. David Bote will fill in at first base Sunday in place of Rivas, who should be back in the lineup Tuesday against the Orioles. Baltimore is expected to bring right-hander Jordan Lyles to the hill for that contest.

Higgins will start at catcher and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

After manning first base in both of the Cubs' last two games, Higgins will get a turn behind the plate while Yan Gomes rests for the series finale. Gomes and Willson Contreras are likely to occupy either the designated-hitter or catcher spot in most games moving forward, but Higgins could end up encroaching on Alfonso Rivas' role as the Cubs' top first baseman while Frank Schwindel (back) is stuck on the injured list.

Hiura will start in left field and bat fifth in Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Hiura's playing time is on the upswing; he'll make his fourth consecutive start after going 5-for-11 with a home run and a walk in the past three contests. Though he should be a fixture in the lineup against left-handed pitching for the foreseeable future, Hiura looks like he could see an uptick in opportunities against right-handed pitching in the short term with Andrew McCutchen picking up more time in the outfield of late with Tyrone Taylor (concussion) and Hunter Renfroe (calf) on the injured list.

Goldschmidt is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The National League MVP candidate looks to be getting some routine maintenance after he started in each of the Cardinals' last 17 games while contributing a 1.035 OPS, two stolen bases, 13 runs and seven RBI over that stretch. Albert Pujols will draw a rare start at first base in place of Goldschmidt.

Votto (back) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

Mike Moustakas will once again fill in at first base for Votto, who is on the bench for the seventh consecutive game on account of back tightness. Votto hasn't made any pinch-hitting appearances over the past five contests, suggesting a stint on the 10-day injured list could still be on the table for the 38-year-old. For now, he can be viewed as day-to-day in advance of the Reds' three-game series with the Yankees, which begins Tuesday.

Goldschmidt went 0-for-4 with a stolen base in Saturday's 1-0 loss to the Phillies.

Baserunners came at a premium Saturday, with Goldschmidt representing the Cardinals' last player to get aboard. He reached on an error and stole second in the ninth inning, but he was left stranded in the narrow defeat. The first baseman has hit safely in 27 of the last 36 games since the start of June, batting .323 in that stretch. Shockingly, that's actually worse than his season mark of .340, and he's added a 1.032 OPS with 19 home runs, 65 RBI, 61 runs scored, five steals and 28 doubles through 83 contests overall. The 34-year-old will likely continue to be one of baseball's most consistent hitters, and he'll be recognized for his efforts in just over a week at the All-Star Game as the National League's starting first baseman.

Flores went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Padres.

Flores hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning off Padres reliever Luis Garcia. This was Flores' first homer since June 25 and his 10th of the year. He's struggled since that date, going a paltry 5-for-30 (.167) in his last 12 contests. The infielder is slashing .240/.331/.404 with 43 RBI, 41 runs scored and 14 doubles through 308 plate appearances. Despite the recent skid at the plate, he should be reliably in the lineup most of the time, especially with Evan Longoria (oblique) and Tommy La Stella (illness) sidelined.

Cron (wrist) isn't starting Saturday against the Diamondbacks, Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette reports.

Cron sustained a left wrist contusion Friday against the Diamondbacks and isn't expected to require an IL stint, but he'll be held out of the lineup for at least one game. Connor Joe is shifting to first base while Yonathan Daza enters the lineup in center field.

Smith isn't starting Saturday's game against the Marlins.

Smith will be out of the lineup for the third time in the last five games since left-hander Braxton Garrett is on the mound for Miami. J.D. Davis is serving as the designated hitter and batting fifth.

Votto (back) isn't starting Saturday against the Rays.

Votto has been dealing with back tightness recently and will be out of the lineup for a sixth consecutive game Saturday. Mike Moustakas is starting at first base while Donovan Solano takes over at the hot corner.