MLB Player News

Howard is out of the lineup Sunday against the Mets, Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice reports.

Howard had started three straight games for Philadelphia, going just 1-for-10 in that time, bringing his batting average down to .194 for the year. He'll get the day off as Tommy Joseph starts at first and bats cleanup for the Phillies.

Cabrera continues to rake at the plate following his return from the disabled list, blasting his 16th home run while driving in a pair of run Saturday.

Cabrera is 13-for-28 with three home runs and nine runs driven in since he returned to the lineup eight game ago. His 16 home runs tie for the second-best mark of his career while his .764 OPS is his highest since 2011, which was his best year in the majors.

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Dodgers.

The slugging first baseman plated Dexter Fowler with a run-scoring single in the first, his 89th RBI of the season. Rizzo now has hit safely in seven of his last eight games and has thrived in August overall, but has only one homer during the month. However, he's enjoyed a stellar season at the plate, slashing .300/.397/.558 with a whopping 66 extra-base hits (37 doubles, four triples, 25 round-trippers) in 464 at-bats.

Flores is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies.

Flores hit a grand slam in Friday's win, his second home run in three games and 14th of the season, but manager Terry Collins will turn back to James Loney at first base with right-hander Jeremy Hellickson due up for Philadelphia.

Bell has started six straight games at first base, going 6-for-17 with five walks since his recall from Triple-A Indianapolis.

The Pirates moved him into the No. 2 spot Friday for the first time and he responded with a 1-for-3 night (in addition to a walk). Bell has already come out early in three of six starts due to defensive weaknesses, but he's still seeing plenty of action. The switch hitter has batted left-handed in all but one of his 27 at-bats. He's seeing an average of 4.30 pitches per plate appearance, comparable to both Joey Votto (4.31) and Paul Goldschmidt (4.29).

Smith went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs batted in and a run scored Thursday and is now hitting .306/.370/.470 on the season.

Smith continues to rake at Double-A Binghamton, notching a career-high 14 home runs to go along with 28 doubles and 88 runs batted in. He should open 2017 at Triple-A Las Vegas and potentially land in the majors during the season. Smith is viewed as the first baseman of the future for New York; that future could start as early as next year.

Bell will bat second Friday against the Brewers.

Fresh off a three-walk showing in the opener against Milwaukee, Bell will shoot up the lineup after batting fifth or sixth in his first five major league starts. It seems Bell has taken over the starting job at first base from John Jaso despite his questionable defense at the position. He could stick in this spot in the order if he holds his own, as Starling Marte has fared much better this year when batting in the heart of the order.

Freeman (back) is in the lineup Friday against the Giants.

Fortunately, Freeman's sore back isn't keeping him from playing Friday night against Jeff Samardzija and the Giants. Atlanta's slugger is hitting .364/.525/.818 with five home runs and 14 RBI over the last 14 games.

Rizzo is in the lineup Friday against the Dodgers.

Rizzo had a rare day off Wednesday, so it's no surprise to see him return to the lineup Friday evening. Rizzo has continued his phenomenal performance at the plate recently and is hitting .362/.383/.500 over his last 14 games. He'll hit third against Bud Norris and the Dodgers.

Freeman (back) is sore but hopes to remain in the lineup for Friday's game against the Giants, David O'Brien of the AJC reports.

Freeman had a scary moment in Thursday's game against Arizona when he took a hard fall chasing a foul ball. His lower back landed directly on the back of a chair, but he was able to remain in the game and play all nine innings. While he will attempt to give it a go Friday, there's no telling how his back will respond overnight. If Freeman has to miss Friday's game against the Giants, Gordon Beckham could slide over to get the start at first base.