MLB Player News

Blandino left Friday's game against the Cardinals in the bottom of the fifth inning with an apparent hand injury, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Blandino was hit by a pitch on his hand to begin the fifth inning, and Mike Freeman took his place at first base in the bottom half of the frame. The severity of his injury isn't yet known.

Smith isn't starting Friday against the Padres, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Smith will get a breather after he went 4-for-9 with a three-run home run, two walks and two strikeouts across his last three games. Kevin Pillar will shift to left field while Billy McKinney starts in right.

Vaughn (undisclosed) was seen taking batting practice prior to Friday's game against the Tigers, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Vaughn is currently on the COVID-19 injured list, but manager Tony La Russa said earlier Friday that the rookie could return as soon as Saturday. Given his participation in Friday's batting practice, a Saturday return now appears even more likely.

Flores (hamstring) isn't starting Friday against the Cubs, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Flores left Thursday's win over the Cubs due to hamstring tightness, but he'll be available off the bench Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. LaMonte Wade will start at first base and lead off.

Cabrera (hamstring) was activated from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Cabrera was expected to face a four-week absence when he landed on the injured list in mid-May, but he beat that timeline for his return. He hit quite well before suffering a hamstring injury, posting a .289/.393/.474 slash line. Cabrera isn't in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Brewers, but he should feature regularly moving forward. Seth Frankoff (forearm) landed on the injured list in a corresponding move.

Hiura is not in the starting lineup Friday against Arizona.

Despite Kolten Wong (oblique) landing on the 10-day injured list earlier Friday, Hiura will remain out of the lineup against right-hander Matt Peacock. Luis Urias will play second base and bat leadoff.

Dalbec is out of the lineup Friday against the Yankees, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Dalbec is 2-for-23 with 15 strikeouts over his past eight games and will head to the bench Friday. Marwin Gonzalez will start at first base in the series opener at New York.

Manager Tony La Russa said Friday that Vaughn could be activated from the COVID-19 injured list as soon as Saturday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Vaughn was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Thursday, but general manager Rick Hahn noted that he thought it could be a short stay on the IL for the rookie slugger. Nothing is official at this point, but based on La Russa's comments, Vaughn has a solid chance of being activated by the end of the weekend series against the Tigers.

Flores was removed from Thursday's win over the Cubs due to tightness in his hamstring, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

The 29-year-old went 1-for-2 with a triple, a walk and two runs before being replaced by Mauricio Dubon at the start of the sixth inning. Manager Gabe Kapler indicated the injury isn't as severe as the hamstring issue that landed Flores on the injured list in May, though it remains concerning he's dealing with another injury less than a week after being activated.

Alonso is not in the lineup Thursday at San Diego.

The 26-year-old returned from the injured list Monday after missing less than two weeks with a hand sprain, but he'll take a seat Thursday after going 5-for-13 with a homer, five RBI and three runs in his first three games back. Dominic Smith will move to first base in Alonso's place, while Kevin Pillar starts in left field.