MLB Player News

Alonso went 1-for-4 with a walk and a three-run home run in Wednesday's 10-3 win over the Marlins.

While the Mets were eliminated from postseason contention by a Brewers win Wednesday, Alonso will still have plenty to play for over the final few games of the season. The rookie slugger not only leads the majors with 51 homers, two ahead of Eugenio Suarez, but he's one more long ball away from tying Aaron Judge's all-time rookie record of 52. Alonso will have four more games to try and match, or even pass, Judge in the history books.

Tellez went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs and two runs in a 3-2 victory against the Orioles on Wednesday.

With his pair of long balls, Tellez has reached the 20-homer plateau during his rookie season. Tellez spent time in the minors during July and August, but during those those two months, he also hit just one home run in 18 games. In September, Tellez has six homers, which is his most for any month this year. He is batting .226 with 21 home runs, 53 RBI, 48 runs and one steal in 358 at-bats this season.

Rizzo could be held out of the final four games of the regular season due to his right ankle sprain, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Rizzo exited Wednesday's game following the third inning and may not return for the final four games of the season with the Cubs now eliminated from playoff contention. The 30-year-old suffered a moderate right ankle sprain Aug. 15 but ended up missing only three games as he decided to fight through the issue for the stretch run. Rizzo is 8-for-20 with one home run and one double in the six games since rejoining the lineup, but it would make sense for the team to remain cautious if he's still less than 100 percent.

Hiura went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored Thursday against the Reds.

Hiura took Tyler Mahle deep in the second inning to record his 19th home run of the season. He now has three home runs in 10 games since coming off the injured list Sept. 14, also recording at least one hit in eight of those contests. The 23-year-old continues to show plenty of promise at the plate, maintaining a .300/.365/.576 line while also chipping in nine steals across 80 games this season.

Gurriel is expected to be out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Angels, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Gurriel started nine of the last 10 games and will head to the bench with the Astros set to arrive in Los Angeles early Thursday morning. The 35-year-old has slowed down in September with a .747 OPS and three homers in 13 games as he missed some time with a hamstring injury.

Flores went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and four RBI Wednesday against the Cardinals.

Flores ended the game only a triple shy of the cycle. He began producing immediately, lacing a two-run double in the first frame. Five innings later, he capped a seven-run inning for the Diamondbacks by clubbing a two-run homer, his ninth of the season. Though his campaign was derailed by a foot injury that cost him two months, he's posted a strong .316/.362/.488 line across 87 contests.

Votto has abandoned choking up on the bat and has been more upright in the batter's box over the last month of the season, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. He's batted .321 with three homers over the last 24 games.

This is some minor tinkering for Votto, who isn't yet ready to overhaul everything yet. "I really think I need to step away and just take as much time away from the game as possible, just kind of recharge," Votto said. "This is a taxing six months for me, personally. As a team, six straight losing seasons is very frustrating. After a while, looking across the field, you see teams playing meaningful games, it's very frustrating being the team on the other side trying to interrupt those strong finishes."

Diaz (foot) is expected to get at-bats in the instructional league, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

This is an encouraging sign for Diaz, who has been sidelined since late July with a foot contusion. His timetable remains unclear, though a return during the postseason seems possible if the Rays make a deep enough run.

France is starting at third base and hitting seventh against the Dodgers on Wednesday.

France is getting just his third start since Sept. 13. Manny Machado heads to the bench for a breather in the second game of the series.

Bell (groin) will not return this season, Nubyjas Wilborn of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Bell was hoping to return before the end of the season, but the Pirates opted to play it safe and shut him down with just five games left and no chance at making the playoffs. The first baseman will be eligible for arbitration for the first time in 2020 after slashing .277/.367/.569 with career highs in doubles (37), home runs (37) and RBI (116).