MLB Player News

Diaz went 2-for-6 with an RBI single and three runs in a win over the Orioles on Friday.

Diaz helped the Rays get off to a hot start by contributing a timely single during a seven-run first inning. The talented 27-year-old sandwiched a pair of two-hit efforts around the All-Star break and is 12-for-38 (.316) with six doubles, four walks and 12 runs since June 29, a 10-game span.

Rizzo is starting at first base and batting fourth in Saturday's game against the Pirates.

This will be Rizzo's fifth straight start in the cleanup spot for the Cubs after primarily hitting third earlier in the season. In those last four contests, the 29-year-old has a 1.270 OPS and the team is 3-1. Expect Rizzo to stick in the No. 4 spot as long as things keep clicking in Chicago.

Lowe, who is starting at first base and hitting fifth Saturday, could get some time at third base at some point this season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays currently have six everyday players for five spots, so this would be a way to keep Lowe's bat in the lineup on a slightly more consistent basis. However, Yandy Diaz certainly doesn't deserve to see his playing time dip, so this may be more of an in-case-of-emergency situation. Lowe appears to be up for good, as he is now slashing .291/.355/.509 with three home runs in 62 plate appearances.

Voit (abdomen) was activated from the injured list and is hitting third Saturday against the Blue Jays, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

As expected, Voit will rejoin the lineup for the second game of the second half. He hit .333/.442/.517 with three home runs in June.

Walker went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-2 win over St. Louis.

Walker's been a streaky hitter during his first significant exposure to major-league pitching, and he's in a good one right now. The left-handed-hitting first baseman has four home runs and 10 RBI over his last 19 at-bats. There's room for both Walker and Jake Lamb in the lineup at this time while Wilmer Flores (foot) is rehabbing, but a decision could be coming soon. Flores has made 10 plate appearances in the Arizona Rookie League. When he returns, Eduardo Escobar will return to third base, leaving Walker and Lamb to share first.

Hiura went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, a home run and two RBI in Friday's 10-7 extra-inning loss to the Giants.

The rookie's solo shot in the bottom of the 10th didn't affect the outcome, but it did give Hiura an impressive eight homers in his first 28 big-league games. The 22-year-old is slashing .276/.339/.524 to begin his career, but he'll need to keep producing with Travis Shaw starting to find his stroke at Triple-A.

Gurriel went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a second run scored in Friday's 9-8 loss to the Rangers.

The All-Star break apparently did little to cool down Gurriel. After going 0-for-4 on Thursday, the 35-year-old bounced back with his seventh long ball in seven July games. Gurriel is now slashing .277/.313/.485 with 15 homers and 52 RBI on the year.

Lowe went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, three RBI and two runs in a 16-4 victory over the Orioles on Friday.

The 24-year-old couldn't have asked for a better way to start the second half of the season. While Lowe did have two homers in the final three games before the break, he only had three hits in his most recent six games, so the four-hit performance was a surprise. Because he's still received a small sample of at-bats, the performance jumped his average more than 50 points. Lowe is now batting .291 with three home runs, seven RBI and 11 runs in 55 at-bats this season.

Cooper went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Friday's 8-4 win over the Mets.

He went back-to-back with Curtis Granderson in the third inning, Cooper's ninth homer of the season. The 28-year-old is now slashing .311/.377/.495 through 52 games -- including a massive .350/.409/.558 line since the beginning of June.

Voit (abdomen) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Blue Jays and remains on the injured list.

Voit previously expressed optimism he would be ready to go for the start of the season's second half Friday, but he wasn't activated by the time the Yankees posted their lineup. According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, the 28-year-old is currently on his way to New York and is expected to be activated Saturday.