MLB Player News

Blandino went 1-for-2 with a solo home run Sunday in the Reds' 3-1 win over the Pirates.

It took him until the final game of the season, but Blandino finally secured his first home run. To be fair, he didn't make his 2019 debut in affiliated ball until early June while recovering from a torn ACL, then spent the next three months in the minors before joining the Reds as a September callup. With his health intact heading into the winter, Blandino should have a better chance at making a greater impact at the MLB level in 2020, though he'll likely be limited to a utility role if he cracks the Reds' Opening Day roster.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-4 with a home run, a walk, two RBI and a stolen base in a win over the Cubs on Sunday.

Goldschmidt carried the Cardinals' offense in the division-clinching victory, reaching base four times. He plated the first run of the game with a single in the first inning and capped the scoring in the fourth frame with a solo homer to left center field. Goldschmidt concludes his first season in St. Louis with .260/.346/.476 slash line along with 34 home runs, 97 RBI and 97 runs scored.

Smith went 1-for-1 with a three-run homer in Sunday's 7-6 win over Atlanta.

Smith entered the game as a defensive replacement for Pete Alonso in the top of the 11th inning and ended the game with a three-run blast in the bottom of the frame. It was his first at-bat since July 26. He ends the 2019 campaign with 11 homers, 25 RBI and a .881 OPS over 197 plate appearances.

Rizzo (ankle) is not in Sunday's lineup against the Cardinals.

He last played Sept. 25, and with the Cubs out of the playoff mix, they will elect to hold him out for the season finale. Rizzo's injury is not expected to affect his offseason. Victor Caratini is starting at first base.

Cabrera is not in Sunday's lineup against the Indians.

He is hitting .370 with two home runs over his last 10 games. Brian Dozier will man second base while hitting seventh.

Alonso went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Braves.

Alonso delivered his 53rd homer of the season 415 feet to center field during the third inning to break Aaron Judge's all-time rookie record for home runs in a season. The young slugger has a .260/.359/.586 slash line with 30 doubles and 120 RBI in 160 games during his rookie campaign.

Walker went 2-for-3 with a grand slam and a solo home run in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Padres.

Walker opened the scoring with a solo shot in the second inning off Padres starter Garrett Richards. The first baseman then took reliever David Bednar deep in the seventh, putting an exclamation point on the comeback effort. Walker is up to 29 homers, 73 RBI and 85 runs scored while slashing .259/.349/.476 in 151 games.

Rizzo (ankle) remains on the bench Saturday against the Cardinals.

Rizzo's sprained ankle is clearly still bothering him, as he hasn't played since Wednesday. With the Cubs out of the playoff picture, it's quite likely that he won't play again this season. Victor Caratini will be the first baseman Saturday.

Flores is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Padres.

Flores has hit very well down the stretch, posting a .383/.426/.670 slash line while striking out just 8.9 percent of the time over his last 28 games. Eduardo Escobar slides to second base Saturday, with Jake Lamb starting at third.

Solano (calf) will start Saturday against the Dodgers, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Solano has been dealing with a calf injury and hadn't started a game in nearly three weeks. He'll lead off and play second base Saturday.