MLB Player News

Walker is not in the lineup Friday against the Marlins.

Walker will take a seat on the bench for Friday's series opener after starting the past eight games and slashing .214/.410/.321 with one home run and two stolen bases over that stretch. Jake Lamb is starting at first base and hitting sixth in his stead.

Mountcastle went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs and four RBI in Triple-A Norfolk's 9-7 win over Rochester on Thursday.

The 22-year-old has caught fire at the plate lately for Norfolk, batting .357 with three home runs over his last 10 games. A first baseman by trade, Mountcastle has also dabbled at the hot corner and in left field for Norfolk, which could help his cause for landing an everyday role once he eventually gets the call to the big leagues. A promotion could be coming shortly after the trade deadline July 31, when the non-contending Orioles may have some openings in the lineup depending on who is dealt away.

Cabrera went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs an RBI and a walk in the Rangers' 11-3 win over the Athletics on Thursday.

Cabrera was hitting just .220 in July coming into this contest, but he posted a big day in this blowout victory for Texas, lacing a trio of base hits and reaching base in four of his five plate appearances. He's now slashing .234/.318/.399 with 12 homers and 48 RBI through 352 plate appearances.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in a 6-3 victory against the Pirates on Thursday.

The 31-year-old homered in every contest of the four-game set in Pittsburgh, and his last five long balls have come against the Pirates. With this power surge, Goldschmidt has 22 home runs this season, putting him well on pace now to reach 33 homers, which he hit last year. He is batting .253 with 32 extra-base hits, 53 RBI and 62 runs in 379 at-bats. In case owners are wondering, Goldschmidt will get his next crack at Pirates pitching on Aug. 9.

Smith is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Padres, Matt Ehalt of Yahoo Sports reports.

He'll cede his spot in the outfield to Juan Lagares, who returns to the starting nine for the first time since July 18. Despite Smith's shortcomings on the defensive end, the Mets seem inclined to keep him around in a near-everyday role with little at stake amid a non-contending season. While Smith owns a stellar .872 OPS on the campaign, he has yet to find much success at the plate in July, going 9-for-51 with a .192 on-base percentage.

Solano got a start at the keystone Wednesday, going 2-for-4 with a double in a 4-1 loss to the Cubs.

Solano got a rare start against a righty, but it may have been the result of lefty Jon Lester getting scratched late due to an illness. The 31-year-old infielder has been a hit machine when called upon this month, going 21-for-54 (.389) over 16 games (11 starts) in July. Despite Solano's current hot streak, his inconsistent playing time and absence of power or speed suppresses his fantasy value.

Flores went 2-for-4 in Wednesday's win over the Orioles.

Flores started against Baltimore left-hander John Means, just the second start in the seven games since he was activated off the injured list. He went hitless in his first seven plate appearances before rapping out a pair of hits Wednesday. Flores is expected to be in the lineup whenever a lefty is on the mound. When the Diamondbacks face a right-hander, manager Torey Lovullo has used Eduardo Escobar at second base and Jake Lamb at third.

Calhoun went 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and two RBI in Wednesday's 3-2 victory at Dodger Stadium.

Calhoun swatted an RBI double in the first inning, then crushed a 403-foot homer off Ross Stripling in the fourth to give the Angels a 2-0 lead. He also tacked on a double in the ninth to cap off another successful night at the plate. Throughout the Angels' first ever two-game Freeway Series sweep over the Dodgers, Calhoun contributed two home runs and four doubles. Overall this season, the 31-year-old is batting .243/.332/.500 with 23 homers, 61 runs scored and 54 RBI.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and three runs in a 14-8 victory against the Pirates on Wednesday.

For the third straight day, Goldschmidt hit a homer against the Pirates, and dating back to last week, this was his fourth consecutive game leaving the yard versus Pittsburgh. Goldschmidt probably wishes he could face Pirates pitching more often, but he does have seven round trippers overall this month. He's now slashing .250/.336/.444 with 31 extra-base hits (including 21 homers), 52 RBI and 61 runs in 376 at-bats this season.

Rizzo was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Giants, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports. He finished 1-for-3.

Rizzo acknowledged he expressed frustration with home plate umpire Jordan Baker over a call in the fifth inning, though he said the ejection caught him by surprise. The Cubs also came into Wednesday in the midst of a three-game losing streak, so perhaps there was some extra tension in the air as the NL Central race has tightened. Rizzo will carry a .926 OPS, 20 home runs and 69 RBI into a pivotal series that starts Friday in Milwaukee.