MLB Player News

Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores is not in the lineup for a second straight day Sunday against the Nationals.

Flores has started 21 of his team's 25 games at the shortstop position, but Ruben Tejada will get the call for a second straight day. Tejada was 1 for 3 Saturday but is just 4 for 21 with three walks and two doubles on the season, while Flores has hit .240/.278/.387 with three home runs and eight RBI in 75 at-bats. Flores has also committed errors in three straight starts.

"We're hoping a couple of days refreshes him and gets him back on track," manager Terry Collins said Sunday morning, per ESPN New York.

The Mets are favorites (-110) against the Nationals Sunday.

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt went 1 for 4 at the plate in Arizona's 6-4 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday.

Goldschmidt did his damage in the first inning, ripping a two-run homer over the center field wall, his sixth of the season. Goldschmidt is now hitting .341 with 22 RBI in 85 at-bats.

Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores sat out Saturday's game, and he may get a second consecutive day off on Sunday. 

Manager Terry Collins said that Flores needs a mental break. He committed his seventh error of the season on Friday, although Collins said that didn't lead to the benching. 

"After last night, you can tell, this guy just needs to take a deep breath and forget about it for a day," Collins said, per NJ.com. "With Monday off, we've talked about whether or not we even give him tomorrow (Sunday) off. Just to let him get some energy back, forget about what's happened and let's move forward."

Cubs second baseman Addison Russell and first baseman Anthony Rizzo collided in the second inning of Saturday's game.

The two infielders were chasing a bloop single to short left field and crashed into each other.

"That was full speed," Rizzo said. "Luckily, it was more bodies colliding than heads." 

Both players stayed in the game and contributed to the Cubs' offense in a loss to Milwaukee.

Rizzo went 1 for 3 with a solo home run, his third of the year, to produce the only run of the day for Chicago. Russell singled and went 1 for 3.  

The Mets gave several regulars a rest on Saturday. 

Right fielder Curtis Granderson, catcher Kevin Plawecki and shortstop Wilmer Flores are all out of the starting lineup. 

John Mayberry makes his third start of the year in right, batting leadoff. Ruben Tejada makes his fourth start at short, batting seventh. Luke Recker will catch and bat eighth. 

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters he's preaching patience with shortstop Wilmer Flores. Alderson said Flores has "plenty of room" despite his errors, per the Wall Street Journal.

"This is not a hope and a prayer," Alderson said.

Flores committed his sixth error of the season Thursday night against Washington, and it proved to be costly. He botched a double-play ground ball in the fourth inning, which led to a three-run inning for Washington in an 8-2 victory over New York.

Flores remained in the lineup and will bat sixth Friday night against Max Scherzer. He is 0 for 5 in his career against Scherzer. In 21 games, Flores is hitting .254 (18 for 71) with two doubles, three homers and eight RBI.

Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores committed his sixth error of the season Thursday against the Nationals, and Thursday's mistake was very costly. Flores bungled a likely double-play grounder in the fourth innning, which led to a three-run inning for Washington on its way to an 8-2 win.

Mets manager Terry Collins said the error “changed the tide, no question about it," per The Wall Street Journal. However, the Mets skipper continues to preach patience with Flores.

“When we decided he was going to be the shortstop, we realized there might be a couple rough spots,” Collins said. “I think you have to be a little patient and continue to tell Wilmer, ‘Listen, you’ve just got to slow down, relax and make the plays.'"

The Mets announced after Thursday's game they are promoting infield prospect Dilson Herrera from Triple-A Las Vegas. However, Herrera is expected to play at second base, with Daniel Murphy moving to third base in David Wright's absence. For now, Flores' job is safe, despite his defensive woes.

“Sometimes things don’t go your way,” Flores said. “Nobody wants to make an error. I just got to shake it off.”

Reds slugger Joey Votto is back in the lineup Thursday in Atlanta after getting a night off. He is batting third and playing first base.

The hope is that the one-game absence will get Votto back on track. He had been one of the hottest hitters in baseball before a 2-for-20 slide that dropped his batting average from .386 to .312.

He is, however, having a renaissance year in regard to power. He has seven home runs in 77 at-bats after nailing just six in 220 at-bats in 2014.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is back in the cleanup spot for the first time since April 18, per Philadelphia Daily News. Howard was removed from the No. 4 spot after the first eight games of the season in favor of Jeff Francoeur.

Francoeur has been held without a hit over his last 13 at-bats, with his batting average dipping from .227 to .180 over the past four games. He will bat fifth on Thursday against the Cardinals. Howard is hitting .222 (4 for 18) with three homers and six RBI over his last five games.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman has been on a tear offensively since suffering a 1-for-18 slump from April 21-25. He has produced multiple hits in four straight games since Sunday, including a four-hit outing Tuesday against the Nationals.

Freeman is batting .588 (10 for 17) in his last four games, raising his season average from .219 to .296. He has one RBI, four doubles and five runs in that span.

"I don't think everybody is ever worried about Freddie Freeman," third baseman Chris Johnson said, per MLB.com.