MLB Player News

Cooper (knee) remains on the bench Friday against Washington.

A knee issue has now kept Cooper out of action for a week. It's not yet clear when he's expected to return. Lewis Brinson starts in right field in his absence.

Rizzo (ankle) will remain in the lineup Friday against the Cardinals.

Rizzo suffered a moderate ankle sprain Sunday but was back in the lineup just four days later, hitting a solo homer in Thursday's loss to the Cardinals. Manager Joe Maddon cast some doubt on Rizzo's ability to play back-to-back games right away, but the first baseman is evidently able to tough it out. His presence is certainly a boon for the Cubs, who now sit one game out of the second wild-card spot after Thursday's loss. Rizzo will lead off and play first base Friday.

Bohm recorded four hits, a run and a pair of RBI in his Arizona Fall League debut Thursday.

The third overall pick in the 2018 draft, Bohm tore through Low-A Lakewood, High-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading this season, hitting a combined .305/.378/.518. He showed both good power and a strong ability to make contact, striking out just 13.5 percent of the time. Bohm should start next year in Triple-A Lehigh Valley but may not take long to reach the big leagues, as the Phillies have a hole at third base due to the stagnation of Maikel Franco.

Manager Joe Maddon is unsure if Rizzo (ankle) will be able to play Friday against the Cardinals, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Rizzo was a surprising addition to Thursday night's lineup, and while he did contribute with a solo home run, the slugger obviously wasn't close to 100 percent. His availability for the remainder of the series should become more clear after he's re-evaluated Friday. Victor Caratini figures to take over at first base if Rizzo is unable to go.

Rizzo (ankle) was added to the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

It was thought that Rizzo was still a few days away from being ready to play, but he worked out prior to Thursday's game without issue, so the Cubs felt comfortable getting him back in the lineup right away. Rizzo will lead off and play first base in his return.

Naylor is not in Thursday's lineup against the Brewers.

He will sit for the second time in the last three games. Now that Hunter Renfroe is fully healthy, Naylor will likely split time with him in right field over the rest of the season. Naylor is hitting .250/.365/.386 with one home run in 44 at-bats this month.

Hiura went 1-for-4 with a home run in Wednesday's loss to the Padres.

Padres starter Dinelson Lamet carved up the Brewers on Wednesday, outside of Hiura's sixth-inning solo shot that brought his team within a run. Hiura has not finished a game since rejoining the lineup a couple days ago, but he still received seven at-bats over the last two games and is 3-of-9 since returning to action Sept. 14 after missing just over two weeks with a hamstring injury. Hiura figures to play regularly the rest of the way, and it should not be much longer before he is ready to play a full nine innings again.

Alonso went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, two runs and a walk during a 7-4 victory against the Rockies on Wednesday.

With another long ball, Alonso sits one shy of 50 homers as a rookie. He's taken full advantage of the hitter-friendly conditions of Coors Field, as he went 6-for-11 (.545) with two homers and a double during the three-game series against the Rockies. Alonso leads the majors with 49 home runs and also has a .266 average, 113 RBI, 95 runs and one steal in 556 at-bats this year.

Walker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and another run scored in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Marlins.

Walker launched a solo homer in the fifth inning to extend Arizona's lead to 5-3. After recently enduring a 2-for-24 slump, Walker appears to be heating up once again. He's batting .259/.342/.466 on the season with 26 home runs and 78 runs scored.

Bell (groin) will not be available for the rest of the Pirates' current series against the Mariners or their next series against the Brewers, but is still trying to make it back before the season ends, Nubyjas Wilborn of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The Pirates don't have any incentive to rush Bell back from his injury, but it appears he is still hoping to make it back in order to end the season on a healthy note and add to his career-best 116 RBI. Assuming Bell does not play against the Brewers as expected, his next chance to play will come Sept. 24 against the Cubs.