MLB Player News

Joseph is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Pirates, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Enquirer reports.

Joseph has been splitting time pretty evenly with Ryan Howard as of late, so Joseph will cede another start to the left-handed-hitting slugger Tuesday. This seems to be the route manager Pete Mackanin will go moving through the rest of the month.

Flores (neck) is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Nationals, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

Although there was some speculation that Flores could return to his post at the keystone Tuesday, he'll get an extra day off to rest his ailing neck. Recent callup T.J. Rivera will slot into the lineup in his place.

Joseph isn't in the lineup for Monday's game agaisnt the Pirates.

Joseph went deep in Sunday's game, but continues to split time with Ryan Howard at first base. Monday marks his third time coming off the bench in the past five games, and the timeshare will likely continue the rest of the way.

Flores (neck) is not in the lineup Monday against the Nationals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Flores was pulled from Saturday's contest with neck stiffness, and as expected, the Mets will give him his second straight day off to rest. The infielder is expected to only miss a couple of days due to the ailment, so he could rejoin the lineup as soon as Tuesday. For Monday's tilt, Kelly Johnson will take his place at the keystone.

Joseph went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 3-2 loss to the Nationals on Sunday.

Joseph has been splitting time with Ryan Howard at first base, despite comments earlier this month from manager Pete Mackanin saying he would increase Joseph's at-bats over the remainder of the season. Perhaps Sunday's home run will help spark Joseph at the plate. He's hit just .205/.270/.397 with four homers since the beginning of August.

Flores (neck) is expected to miss a couple days, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

Flores continues to recover from a stiff neck, but the issue shouldn't cost him too much time. If the timetable holds true, he would be scheduled to rejoin the lineup either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Flores is still experiencing neck stiffness, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com reports.

It appears that Flores is feeling much better than he was Saturday, but he's not quite at 100 percent. X-rays revealed no damage to his neck, so consider Flores day-to-day heading into Monday's outing against the Nationals.

Votto went 4-for-5 with a solo homer and two runs in an 8-7 victory over the Pirates on Saturday.

The former MVP is absolutely killing the Pirates this weekend. Votto is 7-for-9 with three RBI in the last two games, both of which were one-run victories for Cincinnati against reeling Pittsburgh. And although his home run Saturday was initially just insurance, it proved to be the difference in the game. Votto has carried his hot August hitting, which saw him post a .394 batting average and 1.107 OPS in the month, into September. In nine games, he is slashing .448/.528/.621 this month.

Flores said x-rays on his neck came back negative, but it remains painful, Adam Rubin of the ESPN.com reports.

Flores was removed from Saturday's game against the Braves after his head-first slide into home plate ended in a collision with Atlanta catcher A.J. Pierzynski.

Flores departed Saturday night's game against Atlanta after a collision at home plate, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com reports.

Flores went headfirst into home plate, colliding with Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski, and appeared to hurt himself somewhere in the head/neck/shoulder area. Flores, who started the game at first base, left under his own power and was replaced by James Loney.