MLB Player News

Goldschmidt went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's win against the Pirates.

He plated the first runs of the game, taking Mitch Keller deep in the third inning. With the long ball, Goldschmidt snapped a 14-game homerless drought. The veteran now has a hit in 11 of his last 12 games, but he still has just five RBI over his last 15 contests. The first baseman has a .226/.299/.354 slash line with eight home runs and 27 RBI through 65 games this season.

Rizzo went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Royals.

The first baseman snapped a streak of 27 games without a long ball when he took John Schreiber deep in the eighth inning. Rizzo received back-to-back days off earlier this week for a mental reset, and he entered Thursday's game in a 2-for-37 slump during June. He currently sits at .223/.282/.344 slash line with eight home runs and 27 RBI for the season.

France (heel) has a good chance of returning from the injured list when first eligible Tuesday, or very shortly thereafter, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.

The positive news was delivered by general manager Justin Hollander before Wednesday's game against the White Sox, and it represents a more optimistic outlook than when France first went on the injured list Sunday with what was diagnosed as a hairline fracture of the heel. France had posted a .308 average and 1.013 OPS over the last 12 games he played before the injury, so the hope for fantasy managers is a brief IL stay will up the chances of him carrying over that momentum.

Joe is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

Joe will take a seat for the series finale along with two of the other Pirates' everyday players in Andrew McCutchen and Nick Gonzales. Though he's been one of the Pirates' better hitters for much of the season, Joe has fallen into a 2-for-27 skid at the plate over his last eight games.

Olson went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Orioles.

The first baseman spoiled Baltimore's combined shutout bid by taking Keegan Akin deep in the eighth inning. Olson has hit safely in six straight games, and over his last 16 contests he's slashing .328/.385/.586 with three of his 10 homers on the season.

Mountcastle is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against Atlanta.

Mountcastle will receive a breather for the day game after a night game, paving the way for Ryan O'Hearn to pick up a start at first base. The Orioles had included Mountcastle in the lineup for each of the last 14 games, with the 27-year-old slashing .273/.344/.564 with five home runs and 12 RBI over that stretch.

Casas (ribs) has begun taking slight swings off a tee, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

Casas experienced lingering pain in the rib area when rotating his torso, which delayed his progression. Once Casas' slight swings lead to normal swings in a live batting practice, the Red Sox should have a better gauge for his return. He had originally planned to be ready when eligible June 21, but that has been pushed back to early July.

Walker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the Angels.

Walker has gone 10-for-45 (.222) with two homers and eight RBI over 11 contests in June. The first baseman is up to 13 long balls, 42 RBI, 40 runs scored, 12 doubles, two stolen bases and a .255/.340/.458 slash line through 68 games this season. Walker's power is a bit down from the last two years, but that's at least partially due to bad luck -- entering Wednesday, he had a 50.0 percent hard-hit rate and a 15.1 percent barrel rate this season, up from 40.4 percent and 11.4 percent, respectively, in 2023.

Schanuel went 3-for-5 with a double and one run scored in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Schanuel went just 5-for-52 (.096) over 15 games since his last multi-hit effort. The first baseman is up to a .216/.282/.338 slash line with seven home runs, 22 RBI, 20 runs scored, five doubles and no stolen bases over 59 contests. His batting average hasn't been higher than .250 all year, but his iffy contact and lack of speed have yet to cost him the opportunity to regularly bat leadoff. However, Michael Stefanic got a look atop the order in the previous two games before sitting out Wednesday. While Schanuel's spot in the lineup isn't in question, he could drop the down order soon if he goes back to struggling at the plate.

Tellez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.

Though he'll take a seat against a right-hander (Sonny Gray), the lefty-hitting Tellez seems to have a firmer grasp on a strong-side platoon role these days while he's begun to heat up at the plate. Over his last six games, Tellez has gone 9-for-19 with a home run, three doubles, two walks, seven RBI and three runs.