MLB Player News

Flores is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Atlanta, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The left-handed-hitting Dominic Smith will get the nod at first base while the Giants take on Atlanta righty Spencer Strider, but the right-handed-hitting Flores started over Smith in the first two contest of the series, when the Giants also faced a pair of right-handed starters. Flores holds an edge in OPS so far in July (.661) over Smith (.597), so the former could still see a fair amount of playing time versus righties even though the latter holds the platoon advantage.

Horwitz went 3-for-4 with a walk, two doubles, two runs scored and two RBI in Tuesday's 8-5 win over the Tigers.

The 27-year-old first baseman has been getting regular turns as the Pirates' leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching in July, and Horwitz has begun to take advantage of the opportunity. He's racked up seven hits across the last three games, an impressive turnaround after he'd gone 2-for-25 in his prior eight contests. On the season, Horwitz is slashing .249/.318/.348 with two homers, 19 RBI and 22 runs in 201 plate appearances.

Wagaman is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

Since the beginning of July, Wagaman is slashing just .119/.229/.143 with one extra-base hit (a double) in 13 games, and his ongoing struggles appear to be costing him some playing time. He'll take a seat for the second time in the series as Liam Hicks replaces him at first base.

Myers is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

Myers will head to the bench after he went just 4-for-27 with a 0:7 BB:K while starting in each of the Marlins' last seven games. He'll be replaced in center field by Javier Sanoja in the series finale.

Bednar gave up a hit and a walk while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his 15th save of the season in an 8-5 win over the Tigers.

The veteran closer extended his streak without an earned run allowed to 21 appearances and 20.1 innings, a streak that dates back to May 24 and in which he's converted all 11 of his save chances while producing a 0.74 WHIP and 26:5 K:BB. Bednar seems increasingly likely to be on the move at the trade deadline, and his current form will only increase the return from a contender in need of high-leverage reinforcements.

Winn revealed after Tuesday's loss to the Rockies that he received an injection for a nagging knee injury prior to the All-Star break, Fanduel Sports Network Midwest reports.

Winn said of the injection that "I don't really think it did anything" and that his knee is "jacked up right now." However, Winn is receiving daily treatment and plans to continue playing through the issue. It's not clear when exactly Winn's knee began bothering him, but he's 10-for-21 in the first five games of the second half, so it doesn't seem to be greatly hindering him at the plate.

Keller (4-10) picked up the win Tuesday, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks over six innings in an 8-5 victory over the Tigers. He struck out five.

It wasn't the right-hander's sharpest outing, but Keller delivered his fourth straight quality start and 15th of the season on 89 pitches (59 strikes). After getting very little run support early in the year, he's now gone five straight starts without taking a loss, going 3-0 with a 2.03 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 24:6 K:BB over 31 innings during that stretch -- and boosting his trade value significantly, should Pittsburgh decide to move him by the deadline. Keller will look to keep rolling in his next trip to the mound, which lines up to come on the road early next week in San Francisco.

Brooks is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

The left-handed-hitting Brooks is on the bench for the fifth straight game and the third straight matchup with a right-handed pitcher. At this point, the Padres appear content to use the designated-hitter spot to rotate multiple everyday players rather than leaning on Brooks in the strong side of a platoon. Brooks has posted a weak .154/.195/.282 slash line in 41 plate appearances since getting called up from Triple-A El Paso on June 15.

Wade will start at second base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Wade will crack the starting nine for the first time since June 25 while Jose Iglesias takes a seat after occupying the keystone in the Padres' previous two contests. For the season, Wade has mustered a .210/.314/.257 line over 125 plate appearances, and he'll likely continue to see limited use in a utility role unless the San Diego infield or outfield gets decimated by injuries.

Iglesias is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Iglesias had picked up starts in each of the last four games -- two against right-handed pitchers and two against lefties -- but he'll hit the bench Wednesday as the Padres open up the keystone for Tyler Wade. Though he seems to have temporarily secured a near-everyday role in the San Diego infield, Iglesias will likely be the odd man out of the regular lineup if the Padres acquire Atlanta designated hitter Marcell Ozuna -- or another position player, for that matter -- prior to the July 31 deadline. Talks between San Diego and Atlanta are reportedly intensifying, according to Hector Gomez of Z101Digital.com.