MLB Player News

Naylor is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Cubs.

Naylor will once again head to the bench with southpaw Jon Lester taking the mound for Chicago. Oscar Mercado will work in left field Wednesday for Cleveland.

Alonso is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

Alonso finds himself on the bench for the fourth time this season. That's not a high number by any means, though it's higher than one would have expected giving his fantastic .260/.358/.583 slash line as a rookie. He hasn't come close to matching that this year, however, hitting .216/.318/.433. Dominic Smith will be the first baseman Wednesday, with J.D. Davis serving as the designated hitter.

Diaz played catch Wednesday, but manager Kevin Cash acknowledged the corner infielder has been slow to progress from his strained right hamstring, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

While it's encouraging that Diaz was at least able to get in some on-field activity, his return from the 10-day injured list shouldn't be considered imminent until he's able to run the bases without any discomfort. With Ji-Man Choi (hamstring) recently joining Diaz on the IL, the Rays will rely on Nate Lowe, Joey Wendle and Mike Brosseau to pick up more work at either first or third base.

Lowe is starting at first base and batting cleanup Wednesday against the Nationals, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Lowe had hit sixth or seventh in four straight starts, but after hitting .429 with three home runs over that stretch, the Rays will bump him up a couple spots in the lineup. He should continue to hit in a run-producing spot over the rest of the season with Ji-Man Choi (hamstring) likely done for the year.

Voit went 3-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI in Tuesday's 20-6 rout of the Blue Jays.

The 29-year-old just won't stop slugging. Voit has two two-homer performances in the last five days, and his 18 long balls puts him two ahead of Mike Trout and Nelson Cruz for the major-league lead. On the season, Voit is slashing .280/.343/.634 with 42 RBI -- fourth in the league -- through 44 games.

Guerrero went 3-for-5 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 20-6 loss to the Yankees.

The 21-year-old was dialed in, collecting hits on the first pitch in each of his first three at-bats before the Yankees were finally able to retire him in the eighth inning. Guerrero is slashing .251/.328/.440 through 47 games with seven homers and 24 RBI, as he continues to struggle to find his minor-league form.

Lowe went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run, two RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 6-1 win over the Nationals.

His second-inning solo shot off Anibal Sanchez got the Rays on the board. Lowe has started four straight games, going 6-for-14 with all three of his homers on the year, and he should be a consistent presence in the Rays' lineup over the final days of the regular season.

Freeman went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored during the Braves' 5-1 win over the Orioles on Tuesday.

Freeman is slashing a monstrous .500/.559/1.033 through his past 30 at-bats, including 14 RBI. He has reached base safely in 31 consecutive contests and is rapidly building a candidacy for MVP consideration.

Hiura went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and a walk while recording four total RBI in the Brewers' 18-3 Tuesday night victory over the Cardinals.

Hiura was a lowly 2-for-17 with one RBI over his previous six games prior to Tuesday's strong showing. The Brewers offense has been feast or famine of late, scoring a combined seven runs in five games in between 19- and 18-run outbursts. Part of the volatility stems from Hiura, who is among the worst in the league in strikeout percentage.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-2 with two RBI and a walk during the Cardinal's 18-3 loss to the Brewers on Tuesday.

Goldschmidt was responsible for most of the Cardinals' production in a lopsided defeat. He extended his hit streak to five and has reached base safely in 14 straight games. Goldschmidt will carry a .314 average into a Wednesday doubleheader.