MLB Player News

Smith is out of the lineup Tuesday versus the Rockies.

Colorado is throwing left-hander Austin Gomber, so Joey Meneses will play first base and Keibert Ruiz will take a turn as the Nationals' designated hitter. Smith has a .647 OPS this year against southpaws.

Mountcastle went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's 3-2 win over the Phillies.

Mountcastle went yard in the sixth inning for his first homer since May 24. The first baseman has gone 8-for-25 (.320) with four extra-base hits and three RBI over 10 games since he returned from a bout with vertigo. He's slashing .236/.269/.434 with 12 homers, 42 RBI, 38 runs scored and two stolen bases over 70 contests this season. Mountcastle will likely continue to compete with Ryan O'Hearn and Anthony Santander for playing time between first base and designated hitter, though all three can fit in the lineup when Santander is in right field.

Walker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Monday's 10-6 loss to the Cardinals.

Walker has hit safely in five of his last seven games, going 9-for-26 (.346) with three homers, six RBI and six walks in that span. The first baseman enjoyed an excellent June before cooling off in the first half of July. He's at a .263/.341/.518 slash line with 21 homers, 64 RBI, 54 runs scored, 30 doubles and seven stolen bases through 97 contests overall.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-5 with a a home run, three RBI and two runs scored in Monday's 10-6 win over the Diamondbacks.

Goldschmidt has gone 12-for-42 (.286) over 10 contests since the All-Star break. Monday was his fifth multi-hit effort in that span. The first baseman's recent work is right in line with his season numbers, aside from a moderate dip in power. He's at a .285/.371/.473 slash line with 17 homers, 53 RBI, 63 runs scored and eight stolen bases over 97 contests this season.

Santana went 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double, four RBI and a walk in Monday's 8-4 win over the Padres.

Santana hit two-run blasts in the third and fifth innings, ending his 18-game power drought. He'd gone just 10-for-63 (.159) in July prior to this breakout effort. Santana is up to 11 homers, 52 RBI, 43 runs scored, 25 doubles and six stolen bases through 92 contests, and his .237/.322/.408 slash line is his best since 2019.

Casas went 6-for-10 with two home runs, a triple, two walks, five runs and four RBI while starting in all three games of the Red Sox's series with the Mets over the weekend.

After enduring a brief lull at the plate heading into the All-Star break, Casas has emerged as one of the early standouts thus far in the second half of the season. On the heels of a big weekend against New York in which he produced exactly two hits in every game, Casas is now slashing .462/.548/1.115 with five long balls and 5:8 BB:K in nine post-break contests. Casas may still receive select days off against left-handed pitching, but the young first baseman is starting to fully unlock the power and on-base skills that made him a much-ballyhooed prospect heading into the season.

Flores went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's loss to the Tigers.

Flores was responsible for the Giants' lone run Monday with a solo home run off Jose Cisnero in the sixth inning, cutting the deficit to 3-1. The 31-year-old Flores has now hit five homers in his last seven games -- he's gone 10-for-23 (.435) with a 1.217 OPS in that span. With his recent hot streak, Flores has boosted his slash line to an impressive .295/.353/.539 with 13 homers, 32 RBI and 30 runs scored through 241 plate appearances this season.

Rockies manager Bud Black said Monday that Cron (back) is "getting closer" to a return to the lineup, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

Cron is missing a third straight start Monday because of lower-back tightness, but he was able to take some swings in the batting cage, run some light sprints and play catch pregame. The first baseman is widely expected to be on the trade block this week, so the Rockies no doubt want to see him back and healthy as he auditions for contenders.

Cron (back) is not in the starting lineup Monday versus the Nationals.

Cron will miss a third game in a row as he continues to nurse lower-back tightness. Michael Toglia will draw the start at first base and bat seventh in the series opener with Washington.

O'Hearn is not in the starting lineup Monday against Philadelphia.

O'Hearn will head to the bench as Baltimore faces off with southpaw Cristopher Sanchez. Ryan Mountcastle will start at first base and bat third in the series opener with the Phillies.