MLB Player News

Bell launched a pinch-hit solo homer in Sunday's 7-1 win over the Padres.

Bell was scratched in favor of Jose Osuna at first base with a southpaw on the mound for San Diego, but he rewarded those who had the faith or forgetfulness to leave him in their lineups by slugging a ninth-inning long ball against left-handed reliever Jose Torres in his only at-bat of the game. That was the switch-hitter's sixth homer against lefties compared to 13 when facing right-handers.

Calhoun exited Sunday's game against the Blue Jays with right hamstring soreness.

Calhoun is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday in Los Angeles, at which point we'll have a better idea as to the severity of his hamstring injury. He'll be considered day-to-day for the time being.

Flores will start at first base and bat fifth Sunday against the Mariners.

Following the recent trade of Lucas Duda to the Rays along with T.J. Rivera (elbow) hitting the disabled list with a potential season-ending injury, Flores looks like a safe bet to enjoy regular starts at first base for the foreseeable future. He's already taken advantage of the uptick in at-bats by going 8-for-26 with three home runs over the Mets' last eight games, so it may be worthwhile to keep him active in deeper mixed leagues and NL-only formats while he continues to sizzle.

Bell is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.

Bell has gone hitless and tallied six strikeouts at the plate over his past three games. In addition, the switch hitter is batting just .218/.299/.425 in 97 plate appearances against southpaws, and San Diego will start lefty Clayton Richard. Jose Osuna will draw the start at first base in his stead.

Calhoun exited Sunday's game against the Blue Jays early with an apparent injury, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Calhoun was 0-for-2 at the plate before being replaced by Shane Robinson in right field in the third inning. The reason for Calhoun's early departure is not yet known, but that information should become available following the conclusion of Sunday's contest.

Cabrera is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.

Cabrera has picked up 10 hits over the previous six games but went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts during Saturday's contest. He'll receive a day of rest with Matt Reynolds taking over at third base.

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.