MLB Player News

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Pirates.

His two-run shot off Daniel Hudson in the eighth inning brought the Cubs to within one, but they weren't able to complete the comeback. Rizzo now has five homers on the season -- four of which have come in his last six games -- and a strong 12:12 BB:K through 21 games has him on pace for a career-high .400 OBP.

Votto went 1-for-5 with a solo home run during Wednesday's loss to Milwaukee.

The Cincinnati offense is scoring plenty of runs, and Votto's been a key contributor with 16 runs, five doubles, seven home runs and 16 RBI. While his .237/.333/.539 slash line has room for improvement, the veteran has been a better second-half producer in each of the past three seasons, including posting a monster 1.158 OPS after the All-Star break last year.

Flores (knee) has been released from the hospital and will remain at the Mets' spring training facility in Florida to continue his recovery, MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reports.

While it seems doctors were able to successfully treat the infection in Flores' knee, it's not clear when he'll be cleared to resume baseball activity. The Mets have recalled T.J. Rivera and Matt Reynolds to add some infield depth in the interim while Flores and Lucas Duda (elbow) remain on the disabled list.

Flores (knee) is steadily improving while rehabbing at the Mets' spring training facility in Florida, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

There's still no definitive timetable for when Flores can return to regular action, but it seems he won't miss more than another week. The veteran infielder has been receiving treatment for an infection in his knee, a major blow to a Mets lineup ravaged by injuries. Look for Flores to retain his everyday role when he gets back to full strength.

Goldschmidt went 4-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Padres.

Goldschmidt reached base in all five of his plate appearances on the evening, boosting his on-base percentage to a robust .441 for the season. The 29-year-old has been on fire over his last four games, going 8-for-15 with two homers, four walks, six runs and nine RBI.

Bell went 1-for-3 against the Cubs on Monday and has at least one hit in each of his last seven starts.

He started slowly but is batting .333 in his last 24 at-bats. The switch hitter has also belted a pair of homers while hitting righty over his hot stretch. There remains a possibility Pittsburgh moves him back to his natural position in the outfield from first base, but his hot bat will likely remain in the lineup, regardless of where he plays.

Goldschmidt is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Padres.

Monday appears to be a rare off day for the slugger, as the team will instead start Chris Herrmann at first base. Assuming there's no underlying injury at play, Goldschmidt will almost certainly be back in the lineup Tuesday.

Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer -- his third of the season -- in Sunday's 6-2 loss to the Dodgers.

Goldschmidt delivered a pair of RBI in all three games of the series, allowing him to double his existing output in that category for the season. The first baseman has underwhelmed with a .257 batting average thus far, but thanks to a 19.3 percent walk rate, he's been able to reach base in more than 40 percent of his plate appearances. So long as he continues to rack up the walks -- and avoid the injury bug -- Goldschmidt should be in store for a third consecutive 100-run campaign, not to mention all his other fantasy contributions.

Bour went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Sunday's win over the Padres.

The sixth-inning blast, his third homer of the season, capped a six-run frame that put the Marlins in the lead for good. Bour's hitting just .194 (12-for-62) to start the season, but he has scraped together a modest five-game hitting streak, going 6-for-17 with two homers and five RBI.

Rizzo went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Sunday's loss to Cincinnati. It was his third consecutive game with a homer.

Up to 10 runs, five doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI and three stolen bases with a .296/.412/.535 slash line, Rizzo has kick-started 2017 as expected. He's a set-and-forget option at first base and offers a high fantasy floor because of the strong supporting cast surrounding him in the Chicago lineup.