MLB Player News

Diaz went 3-for-4 on Friday against Atlanta.

After an explosion of power early in the season, Diaz has gone without a homer across his last 33 games. He's still found ways to produce, piling up 12 multi-hit efforts in that span to maintain a .295 average while also racking up 19 runs scored. Overall, Diaz has maintained a career-best .904 OPS across 332 plate appearances.

Votto went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Brewers.

Votto, who homered for the sixth time in 15 games, had a two-run homer in fifth inning and a run-producing double in the ninth. After missing 10 months due to a shoulder injury and returning June 19, Votto needed about 40 plate appearances to get his timing down. His batting average sat at .143 (5-for-35, five walks, three HBP) on July 2, but the 39-year-old has hit safely in four straight since, going 7-for-15 with four extra-base hits and seven RBI.

Cronenworth went 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in Friday's 7-5 extra-inning loss to the Mets.

Cronenworth is 1-for-2 on the basepaths in July after just one steal (and attempt) in June. The infielder has hit safely in four of six games this month, going 7-for-19 (.368) with four extra-base hits and seven RBI. He's at a .218/.318/.365 slash line with four steals, eight home runs, 33 RBI and 36 runs scored through 86 contests, but he's showing some life at the plate.

Young is not in the starting lineup Friday versus the Yankees.

Young will take a seat as the Cubs face off with left-hander Carlos Rodon on Friday. Righty bat Trey Mancini will replace him at first base and bat sixth in the series opener with New York.

Raley is not in the lineup for Friday's contest against Atlanta, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It's one of the rare instances when Raley is not starting when the opposition has a right-hander, in this case Charlie Morton, on the mound. Harold Ramirez will be the designated hitter.

Noda (illness) is starting at first base and batting third Friday against the Red Sox.

A stomach bug kept Noda out of Thursday's game, but the issue seems to have subsided. The 27-year-old first baseman has been on a hot streak recently, going 4-for-14 at the plate with a homer, four RBI and three runs scored while also drawing five walks across his last four games.

Naylor went 2-for-4 with a solo home run against the Royals in Thursday's 6-1 victory.

Naylor missed two games due to a minor injury to his right wrist, but that didn't seem to impact him in his return, as he went yard off Amir Garrett in the sixth inning. The first baseman also singled in the contest, giving him five multi-hit performances over his past eight games. Over the hot stretch, Naylor is slashing .364/.400/.667 with a pair of long balls, four doubles, five RBI and six runs.

Freeman went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, a stolen base, three RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Pirates.

Freeman provided an early two-run blast in the first inning and added an RBI single in the seventh. The first baseman remains hot -- he's gone 16-for-46 (.348) over his last 11 homers, though his homer Thursday was his first since June 21. Freeman has 15 long balls, 30 doubles, 12 steals, 57 RBI, 68 runs scored and a .320/.397/.542 slash line through 87 contests this year.

Alonso went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's 9-0 win over the Diamondbacks.

Alonso knocked in the Mets' first three runs of the game, and it was more than enough for the win. The first baseman has been a little spotty in July, going 4-for-18 (.222) with two homers and six RBI over five games to begin the month. He's up to 26 long balls, 61 RBI, 50 runs scored, three stolen bases and a .218/.311/.514 slash line through 79 contests overall. Given that a bone bruise in his wrist was expected to keep him out until the first week of July, but he came back early June 18, it's possible playing through the issue has hindered his recovery a bit. He's lost 13 points from his batting average since his return.

O'Hearn went 3-for-4 with one double, four RBI and one run scored in Thursday's 14-1 win over the Yankees.

After hitting a two-run homer and corralling a steal Wednesday, O'Hearn once again made a significant impact Thursday. He notched his second three-hit game of 2023 and tied his season high in RBI during the blowout win. The power-hitting lefty has strung together a four-game hit streak, a stretch where he's hitting 7-for-16 (.438) with seven RBI and three runs scored.