MLB Player News

Rizzo went 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI in Saturday's 14-1 win over the Pirates.

Rizzo has enjoyed this series against Pittsburgh; he's gone 5-for-8 with three runs and six RBI in two games. The 30-year-old is having another phenomenal season overall with a .289/.402/.516 slash line, 26 home runs and 93 RBI through 139 games.

Bell (groin) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.

Bell will be withheld from the starting nine for the second straight contest after leaving Friday's game with left groin discomfort. Colin Moran will cover first base Sunday while Erik Gonzalez receives the start at the hot corner.

Cabrera is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Braves.

Cabrera started the last three games and went 2-for-11 with a triple and two RBI, but he'll take a seat Sunday with southpaw Max Fried on the mound for the Braves. Brian Dozier will start at the keystone and bat sixth in the series finale.

Cooper (knee) is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Giants.

Cooper jammed his knee on a diving catch during the first inning of Friday's game, but tests showed no structural damage, so he should be considered day-to-day ahead of Sunday's series finale. Harold Ramirez will take over in right field as Starlin Castro bats third against Saturday's starter, Madison Bumgarner.

Hiura (hamstring) is taking part in a full pregame workout Saturday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The second baseman will go through fielding drills and take on-field batting practice, clearing another hurdle on his road back from a left hamstring strain. As McCalvy puts it, the Brewers "want to be super duper extra special sure he doesn't come back too early," so a return to the lineup Monday seems questionable, at best.

Flores is not in Saturday's lineup against the Reds.

He is hitting .276 with one home run in 29 at-bats this month. Flores has started in seven of the last 10 games with six of those starts coming against same-handed pitching. Ildemaro Vargas is starting at second base and batting leadoff.

Freeman (elbow) is starting at first base and batting third Saturday against the Nationals, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

As expected, the Braves get their first baseman back after he left Friday's game with a sore right elbow. Freeman is tied for first in the majors with 117 RBI and his 38 homers are good for ninth best in MLB.

Bell (groin) is not in Saturday's lineup against the Cubs.

He exited Friday's game with left groin discomfort and the issue will keep him sidelined for at least one more game. Jose Osuna is starting at first base and hitting cleanup.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with two home runs and seven RBI in Friday's 10-0 win over the Brewers.

The veteran slugger's first campaign in St. Louis has been uneven -- the homers were his first since Aug. 24 -- but Goldschmidt is heating up with the playoffs looming, slashing .324/.479/.676 in September with 16 RBI through 12 games. On the season, he now has 31 home runs, reaching the 30-HR plateau for the third straight year and the fifth time in his career, and he's 11 RBI shy of his fourth career 100-RBI season with 15 games left on the schedule.

Rizzo went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and two runs in a 17-8 victory over the Pirates on Friday.

Joe Maddon's experiment with Rizzo in the leadoff spot worked Friday, as he reached base three times and still received a big opportunity with the bases loaded in the third, taking advantage with a grand slam. Rizzo is now 6-for-16 (.375) with two homers and six RBI in four games out of the leadoff spot this year. Overall, he's batting .286 with 26 home runs, 91 RBI, 86 runs and five steals in 489 at-bats this season.