MLB Player News

Gurriel is out of the lineup Sunday against the Tigers.

After a red-hot first three weeks of July, Gurriel has closed the month out with a whimper, registering only two hits in 25 at-bats over the past six games. Manager A.J. Hinch will give Gurriel a day to clear his mind, allowing Tyler White to pick up a start at first base in the series finale.

Rizzo is dealing with a sore back and is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Rizzo never appeared to explicitly injure his back during Saturday's contest, so it appears that he may be dealing with some general back soreness that comes with the wear and tear of a long season. The Cubs are off Monday, so the star first baseman will be given at least two full days to rest his ailing back. Victor Caratini draws the start at first base in his stead, batting eighth.

Cron is out of the lineup Sunday against the Blue Jays, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Cron had drawn the previous three starts at first base, but since two of those turns had come against left-handed starters, it doesn't appear as though he's worked himself out of the short end of a platoon at the position with Luis Valbuena. Until he shows dramatic improvement in his .558 OPS against right-handed pitching, Cron won't be of much use outside of DFS contests or deeper leagues with daily lineup moves.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and three RBI in Saturday's 7-1 win over the Cardinals.

The homer was Goldschmidt's first since July 14, ending a 13-game drought for the All-Star. Even with the slight downturn in power in the second half, Goldschmidt is still sitting on a career-best .577 slugging percentage for the season, and has continued to exhibit top-notch plate discipline. He's drawn at least one walk in each of the last seven games and has produced four two-hit efforts during that time, aiding him to a ridiculous .636 on-base percentage.

Abreu went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in Saturday's loss to Cleveland.

After going 15 games without a homer, Abreu has now hit three in his last three games. He continues to move the fantasy needle in all setups with a .293/.349/.519 slash line, 19 bombs, 66 RBI and 58 runs.

Votto went 2-for-3 with a solo homer in Saturday's loss to Miami.

It was 16 games between homers for the first baseman, and Votto posted an alarming .204 slugging percentage during that stretch. Traditionally, he's been a much better second-half producer, so fantasy owners shouldn't overreact to his recent struggles.

Cabrera went 3-for-5 with three runs scored in Friday's win over the Mariners.

His audition for prospective future employers continues to go swimmingly with the trade deadline looming, and Cabrera is now slashing .444/.483/.593 over his last seven games with four multi-hit performances.

Joseph went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer Friday against the Braves.

Joseph clubbed his 16th homer of the season as part of a seven-run fifth inning that helped lead the Phillies to a home victory. Although he carries a weak batting average, his power potential has made him a useful corner infield option for fantasy owners.

Cron went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer Friday against the Blue Jays.

Cron lifted his fifth homer of the year in the ninth inning of a game that was already out of hand. Aside from a poor .233 batting average along with a .370 slugging percentage, he also seems to be in a platoon with Luis Valbuena, so he's a difficult player to use in fantasy lineups.

Cabrera went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Thursday's loss to the Padres.

The Lucas Duda trade almost certainly signaled a mass exodus of Mets veterans before the deadline, and Cabrera is right at the top of that list. The 31-year-old has kept his market value high by slashing .302/.383/.434 in 14 games since the All-Star break, and his defensive versatility should make him an enticing option for a contender looking to bolster its infield depth.