MLB Player News

Cronenworth will start at shortstop and will bat second Wednesday against the Angels.

With Fernando Tatis receiving his first day off of the season, Cronenworth will take his spot both in the field and in the batting order. Cronenworth, who previously hasn't hit higher than fourth, has mostly been serving as the Padres' No. 7 hitter in September while slashing .211/.308/.316 on the month.

Freeman went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and three total runs scored during Tuesday's 11-1 win over the Marlins.

With the third-highest batting average and second-highest OPS in the league, Freeman is squarely in the MVP race. He is slashing .347/.463/.643 through 199 at-bats this season.

Alonso went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and three RBI in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Rays.

Alonso's big night at the dish helped the Mets keep their faint playoff hopes alive for another day, but any late flurry to finish the season won't be enough for him to repay fantasy managers who invested in him on draft day. A .220 BABIP and overall downturn in power production has limited Alonso to a .741 OPS this season, 200 points below his mark from his brilliant rookie campaign.

Dalbec went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 8-3 win over the Orioles.

Dalbec has hit safely in three straight contests since an off-day Friday, which came after a 2-for-15 stretch that included 10 strikeouts. He's 5-for-10 with a home run and three RBI in his mini-streak. Dalbec has 10 extra-base hits among his 18 hits this season, giving the rookie a .375 ISO.

Rizzo went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Pirates.

Rizzo's 10th home run of the season was all the offense the Cubs could muster. The first baseman is having a down year by his standards with a .741 OPS, which would be his lowest mark since coming to Chicago in 2012, but he can quickly put that behind him if he performs well in the upcoming postseason.

Diaz (hamstring) took between five and seven at-bats against live pitching prior to Tuesday's game but did minimal running, the Associated Press reports.

Manager Kevin Cash confirmed Diaz still feels soreness in his right leg three weeks after being placed on the injured list. The infielder has been able to take plenty of batting practice in recent days, but the fact he's still yet to regain full mobility means his status for the first round of the playoffs will be a down-to-the-wire decision, according to Cash.

Abreu went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 5-3 extra-inning loss to Cleveland.

He took Adam Plutko deep in the sixth inning to tie the game at 1-1. Abreu is up to 19 homers on the year, including six in the last 11 games -- a stretch during which he's hitting .452 (19-for-42) with 16 RBI.

Dixon's contract was selected Tuesday from the Tigers' alternate training site.

He logged a .248/.290/.435 slash line with 15 home runs and five steals in 118 games with the Tigers last year but then lost his 40-man roster spot and had been working out this summer at the alternate site. Jonathan Schoop (wrist) was transferred to the 45-day injured list in a corresponding move. Dixon should serve as a bench infielder for the rest of the week.

Naylor (leg) is starting in left field and batting eighth Tuesday against the White Sox.

He left Monday's game after jamming his leg while sliding into second base, but it was apparently a minor injury. Naylor is hitting .353 with three doubles and more walks (three) than strikeouts (two) over his last 17 at-bats (six games). Cleveland appears committed to getting him semi-regular playing time over the final week.

Hiura is not starting Tuesday against the Reds.

Hiura hits the bench for the first time all season after going 2-for-16 with 10 strikeouts in his last five games. It's been a frustrating sophomore campaign for him overall, as he's hit just .215/.308/.436 after breaking into the league with a .303/.368/.570 line last year. Jace Peterson will get the nod at second base in his absence.