MLB Player News

MLB.com reports that Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is looking to make his return to the Cubs' lineup on Monday, when they open up a home series against the Reds. Rizzo has missed 17 games with a back strain, and he was out of the starting lineup again for Sunday's tilt at the Pirates.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo remains out of the starting lineup Saturday.

Rizzo has been sidelined since Aug. 26 due to a back strain, and he may end up missing the remainder of the season. He has hit 278/.375/.514 with 30 home runs and 71 RBI in 486 at-bats.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo hoped he could return to the lineup for the weekend series in Pittsburgh, but it won't be Friday night. He remains sidelined with a strained back.

Speculation seems to have cooled that Rizzo will miss the rest of the season, however. He has been out since Aug. 26.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto has taken grounders this week, but he remains without a timetable to return from the disabled list, MLB.com reports.

"I can't answer those questions yet. It's not a short distance," manager Bryan Price said. "We have a long way to go, not necessarily in time but as far as things to accomplish -- hitting live BP, running the bases, seeing live pitching, doing anything we can to simulate a game environment. We haven't even talked about whether there is a trip to instructional league or simulated games. We haven't even gotten to that point because there is no reason to invest in that unless we're getting close to a possible activation. If we get to a point where we can realistically set those things up as a precursor to his activation, we'll see."

Votto went on the disabled list July 8 for the second time this season due to a quad strain.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo was able to swing a bat Monday and thinks he could return for this weekend's series at Pittsburgh, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Rizzo has been out since Aug. 26 with a strained back and said earlier he'd be open to shutting down for the season. The 25-year-old has had a breakout season already, batting .278 with 30 home runs.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is not in the lineup for Saturday's Game 2 against the Pirates.

Rizzo has been sidelined since Aug. 26 due to back issues, and he remains a candidate to be shut down for the remainder of the season at some point in the near future if his back doesn't start to improve soon. He has hit .278/.375/.514 with 30 home runs and 71 RBI in 486 at-bats.

A back injury that continues to plague Cubs slugging first baseman Anthony Rizzo has him sidelined again for the Friday afternoon game against visiting Pittsburgh.

Rizzo, who could be shut down for the rest of the season, has not played since Aug. 26. If he has indeed played his last game, he will finish the year with a fine stat line of .278/.375/.514 and 30 home runs.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo said he could accept losing the rest of the season to a back strain despite the frustration.

"If I'm shut down, I'm shut down," he told MLB.com. "My main concern is being full strength in the offseason and getting ready for next year. Obviously, I want to come back and play - it's not fun sitting around and watching. We're not going to go crazy and rush to get back and have it re-occor over and over. We want this to be the first and last time it ever happens."

The Cubs have no plans yet to shut down Rizzo, who has been out since Aug. 26. He has emerged as one of the premier sluggers in the sport this season with a stat line of .278/.375/.514 and 30 home runs.

If rosters hadn't just expanded at the start of September, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo would probably be on the disabled list with a back strain, the team announced Tuesday.

Rizzo had an MRI taken on his back which showed a mild lower back strain, an injury that has already cost him eight games. If the team was still restricted to a 25-man roster, Rizzo would have already been placed on the disabled list. He will try to rehab the injury while remaining active at this point, and the team is not considering shutting him down for the final month.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is not in the starting lineup Tuesday against the Brewers, as he continues to deal with a back injury. He has now missed eight games in a row as a result of this injury, the extent of which is still not known.