MLB Player News

Rizzo is starting at first base and batting leadoff in Sunday's series finale against the Cardinals.

If it's not broken, don't fix it. Rizzo is 13-for-24 as a leadoff hitter with seven walks in the last seven games, so Cubs manager Joe Maddon is going to keep the alignment for the time being. The 28-year-old has raised his batting average 22 points during this stretch, and while batting leadoff hampers his RBI potential, it also gives him the opportunity to score more runs.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored Saturday in the Diamondbacks' 6-5 loss to the Rockies.

Goldschmidt's production has tailed off of late, as the All-Star first baseman has scored just once and hasn't driven in any runs over his last six games while striking out 10 times over that stretch. The rough patch is likely little more than a blip on the radar for Goldschmidt, who bounced back from a more extended slump in the spring to deliver a massive June.

Rizzo led off both games of Saturday's doubleheader and combined to go 5-for-7 -- including three walks in the first game and a 4-for-5 effort in the second -- with one RBI and a run scored.

That puts him at 13-for-24 as a leadoff hitter with seven walks in the last seven games. Rizzo has yet to hit a homer in July -- reflective of his overall down season of .258/.359/.426 with 12 big flies -- but he still has 63 RBI and has scored 40 times as a member of the productive Cubs lineup. For however long manager Joe Maddon sticks with this configuration, expect Rizzo's RBI pace to taper off while he possibly finds more chances to cross the plate.

Bell went 4-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Reds.

The first baseman has endured a rough sophomore campaign so far, slashing only .267/.350/.407 with five homers in 98 games, but he's at least started to string together some hits. Bell's posted a .355 batting average (22-for-62) over his last 19 games. If he can also re-discover the power stroke that allowed him to slug 26 homers last year, the 25-year-old could put together a big stretch run for a Pirates squad still in the wild-card race.

Dixon was called up from Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

Dixon is up to replace Alex Blandino, who was placed on the disabled list with a torn ACL. Dixon hit .219/.265/.344 in 29 games for the Reds earlier in the season, appearing everywhere but catcher, shortstop and center field. He'll likely fill the same utility role this time around.

Blandino was placed on the disabled list with a torn ACL on Saturday.

Blandino suffered the injury in Friday's game against the Pirates. The severity of the injury will likely shut him down for the rest of the season. Brandon Dixon was called up to take his place on the roster.

Alonso went 3-for-4 with a home run, a triple and a walk for Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

After getting off to a 5-for-45 start in July, Alonso's bat has heated up the last two games, with the first baseman reaching base in seven of 10 plate appearances. The back-to-back strong showings came after he returned from a dazzling performance earlier in the week at the Futures Game, where he homered on the hardest-hit ball of the contest, as measured by Statcast data. Perhaps a turnaround is brewing for Alonso, who is hitting just .200/.325/.486 across 126 plate appearance since being promoted to the Pacific Coast League in mid-June.

Blandino suffered what appeared to be a significant knee injury late in Friday's loss to the Pirates, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "He was really sore. And he'll get some X-rays tomorrow, I believe get an MRI tomorrow. Hopefully it's something that will not be too devastating for him but certainly it's very unfortunate," Reds manager Jim Riggleman said after the game.

Blandino was trying to complete a double-play in the ninth inning of an 11-1 game when the Pirates' Max Moroff appeared to get his cleats stuck in the mud while stopping a slide and accidentally rolled into Blandino. Blandino wasn't able to put much weight on the knee and had to be helped off the field.

Santana went 1-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Friday's 11-5 win over the Padres.

The veteran switch hitter drove in the Phillies' first run of the game with a groundout in the first inning, while his three-run shot in the second put the team in the lead for good. Santana now has 15 homers on the season, but his .209/.350/.403 slash line limits his fantasy value in traditional 5x5 fantasy formats.

Votto is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Pirates, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Votto has started all but three games prior to Friday this season, but the Reds could simply be looking to give the veteran first baseman an additional day of rest after participating in the All-Star Game on Tuesday. Adam Duvall gets the nod at first base for Cincinnati, as Votto should return to the lineup Saturday against the Pirates.