MLB Player News

Cooper (hamstring) is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Twins, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

Cooper left Tuesday's game with hamstring tightness and still isn't 100 percent. As such, he'll hit the bench Wednesday as Neil Walker starts at first base in his stead.

Flores will start at second base and bat second Wednesday against the Yankees.

Flores drew starts the past two days when the Diamondbacks opposed left-handed pitchers Caleb Smith and J.A. Happ, and now he'll stick in the lineup for a third straight game with right-hander Masahiro Tanaka on the bump for New York. His inclusion in the starting nine shouldn't be taken as an indication that Flores has captured a full-time role, as he's likely just starting Wednesday so Ketel Marte can get a breather. Flores still appears to be a short-side platoon player for Arizona.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a win over the Cubs on Tuesday.

Goldschmidt more or less defied odds during the first half of the season, generating a career-best hard-contact rate and yet setting a pace that would have left him with the fewest extra-base hits of his career outside of his initial 48-game stint in the majors back in 2011. Statistical outliers such as those have a way of correcting themselves over time, and Goldschmidt's performance since the All-Star break serves as a shining example of such. The slugger now has seven home runs in his last eight games, and he's hit nine overall thus far in the second half of the season. Goldschmidt's .472 slugging percentage is still well below his career .526 figure, but it's already seen a 46-point boost since the All-Star break.

Walker went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Yankees.

Walker launched his 20th homer off left-hander J.A. Happ in the fourth inning. The first baseman has played in two games since missing one due to a sore elbow and has hit safely in both. He should continue to get at-bats against both lefties and righties as Arizona's primary first baseman.

Votto went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in an 11-4 loss against the Pirates on Tuesday.

The home run was nice, but Votto needs a lot more of them to make up for his poor first four months of 2019. He has just 10 home runs in 99 games, and perhaps even more surprisingly, Votto has only 33 RBI. He has 12 RBI in July, so at least he's performing a little better in that category lately, but he also has just two homers this month. The fact he does have 54 runs with a respectable .265 batting average over 374 at-bats this season does help prevent his season from being a total washout from a fantasy perspective, but he's still mostly performing below his career norms.

Cooper was removed from Tuesday's game against the Twins with left hamstring tightness, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

Cooper appeared to suffer the injury running to first base on his first-inning groundout. The 29-year-old should be considered day-to-day for the time being, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him receive the day off Wednesday.

Votto went 3-for-4 with a walk, two RBI and one run Monday in the Reds' 11-6 win over the Pirates.

While Votto turned in a productive all-around day, all three of his hits were singles, which has been an all-too-familiar occurrence for those who roster him in fantasy leagues. Votto has supplied only seven extra-base knocks (six doubles, one home run) in July and isn't even supporting it with his typically elite marks in batting average (.250) and on-base percentage (.317). The 35-year-old hasn't provided many reasons to be optimistic about a major turnaround over the final two months, but his exorbitant contract and status as a franchise player will at least keep him locked into an everyday role.

Freeman went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in Monday's 6-3 loss to the Nationals.

After seeing his eight-game hit streak snapped Sunday, Freeman bounced right back with another bushel of base knocks. The first baseman is slashing .298/.423/.439 in 16 games since the All-Star break with two homers, 11 runs and 13 RBI, numbers which count as a bit of a slowdown compared to his .957 OPS on the year.

Bell (hand) is starting at first base and hitting cleanup Monday against the Reds.

Bell's absence Sunday against the Mets was apparently planned -- and not due to the apparent hand injury he suffered Saturday -- a notion supported by his inclusion in the starting nine for Monday's series opener. The switch hitter is slashing just .184/.310/.245 in 15 games since the All-Star break and will look to get back on track against right-hander Sonny Gray on Monday.

Walker (elbow) will start at first base and bat cleanup Monday against the Marlins.

Walker developed some swelling in his left elbow after he was struck twice by pitches Saturday, resulting in the Diamondbacks holding him out of Sunday's 5-1 loss. Since X-rays cleared Walker of any further damage to his elbow, the slugger merely needed just a day off to recover from the issue. He'll draw back into his usual spot in the heart of the order while Jake Lamb shifts to the bench with lefty Caleb Smith twirling for Miami.