MLB Player News

Encarnacion-Strand is not in the lineup for Monday's game versus the Twins.

Encarnacion-Strand has hit home runs in both of his last two games, but those are the only two starts he's made in the Reds' past five contests, as his playing time versus righties has been lagging since Joey Votto returned from the injured list. Votto will pick up the start at first base Monday.

Porter will start at catcher and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Guardians.

Porter will receive his second straight turn behind the dish and could operate as the Royals' primary backstop for at least the next week after Kansas City placed Salvador Perez (concussion) on the 7-day injured list and transferred Freddy Fermin (finger) to the 60-day IL on Monday. Since getting called up from Triple-A Omaha on Sept. 11, Porter has started his big-league career on a high note, going 4-for-10 with a home run and a double.

Olson's home run during Saturday's win over the Marlins was his 52nd of the season, setting a new franchise record for Atlanta, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Andruw Jones held the old record of 51, which he set in 2005. Olson leads the majors this season in both homers and RBI (129), and the biggest obstacle to him winning the NL MVP Award in 2023 could be the historic numbers put up by teammate Ronald Acuna (calf), who sits three long balls short of the first 40-60 season in baseball history.

Dalbec started at first base and went 1-for-3 in Sunday's 3-2 loss to Toronto.

Dalbec was summoned from Triple-A Worcester after Boston placed Triston Casas (shoulder) on the injured list. Dalbec mashed for the WooSox, slugging .557 with 33 home runs and 80 RBI over 114 games. Hitting Triple-A pitching, however, has never been the issue. The 28-year-old maintains a .232/.298/.452 slash line over 915 plate appearances in the majors. While Dalbec could get regular work in the final weeks of the season, he does not have a path to a regular gig in 2024.

Encarnacion-Strand went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 8-4 loss to the Mets.

Encarnacion-Strand homered for a second time in as many days; however, Sunday's blast didn't carry the same impact as his game-winning hit the previous day. He's given the Reds a lift during the chase for the playoffs, registering a .341/.370/.591 slash line with three home runs and seven RBI over 13 games in September.

Walker went 0-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Cubs.

Walker was part of Arizona's three-run first inning, knocking in a run on a fielder's choice then scoring what turned out to be the winning run. The Diamondbacks' RBI leader delivered runs in each of the last two games, after going eight straight games without driving in a run. Walker is batting .180 (11-for-61) over 17 games in September.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double, three RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Phillies.

Goldschmidt opened up the scoring with a two-run double in the third and then made some more noise with a solo blast to center in the fifth. It was his fourth game with three RBI or more this season and brought him up to five extra-base hits in 14 games this month. Though he certainly hasn't replicated his 2022 MVP form, Goldschmidt has produced another solid year, slashing .273/.366/.456 with 25 homers, 78 RBI, 85 runs and an 81:152 BB:K in 648 plate appearances.

Gray went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Orioles.

Making the start at shortstop following his call-up Saturday, Gray picked up his first big-league hit in the fifth inning before launching his first home run off Jorge Lopez in the eighth, putting Tampa Bay ahead 2-1. The 27-year-old Gray displayed some impressive power in Triple-A this year, hitting 28 homers in 127 games. His stint in the majors may be brief, however, as Taylor Walls (personal) is due to return from the paternity list Tuesday.

Cooper is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

Cooper finds himself on the bench for the second straight game and the fourth time in San Diego's past six. It appears the 32-year-old won't have an everyday spot in the lineup down the stretch, with Jurickson Profar and Ji-Man Choi in the mix at first base.

Freeman is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Seattle.

The Dodgers clinched the NL West title Saturday, so Freeman will receive his first day off of the season. The veteran first baseman has taken a small step back at the plate through 14 games in September with a .302/.403/.434 slash line, though his .983 OPS for the campaign still has him in the thick of the race for NL MVP.