MLB Player News

Tellez isn't in the Pirates' lineup for Saturday's game against Arizona.

Lefty starter Jordan Montgomery will toe the slab for the D-backs on Saturday, so the left-handed-hitting Tellez will retreat to the bench to begin the game. Connor Joe will fill in at first base while batting third.

France started at first base and went 0-for-3 in Friday's 3-0 loss to the Giants.

France made his first start for the Reds since being acquired earlier in the week. With Christian Encarnacion-Strand (wrist) done for the season, first base has become a rotation involving Jeimer Candelario, Spencer Steer and France.

Busch went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-3 win over the Cardinals.

Busch and Christian Bethancourt led the way for the Cubs with two home runs and four total RBI. For Busch, he's now up to 14 long balls this season to go along with a .257 batting average and .795 OPS. He's been a bit cold lately with a .143 average over his last five games, though he's gone deep twice in that span to boost his OPS to .821. Busch should remain locked in at first base for Chicago moving forward.

Bell started at first base, batted fourth and went 2-for-5 with two solo home runs in Friday's 9-8 win over Pittsburgh.

Bell, who was making his debut for the Diamondbacks, homered in his first plate appearance as part of a five-run first inning. He later tied the game at 7-7 with a solo shot in the seventh. Bell was acquired Tuesday immediately after the Diamondbacks learned starting first baseman Christian Walker (oblique) would miss an estimated three weeks, but Bell's role after Walker returns is uncertain with Joc Pederson boasting a .921 OPS this season as the primary DH against right-handed pitching.

Alonso went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, a walk and three strikeouts in Friday's 5-1 win over the Angels.

Alonso took Tyler Anderson deep in the third inning in what ended up being the deciding runs in Friday's win. Alonso has been hot with three home runs over his last five games and four long balls already since the All-Star break. The 29-year-old is hitting with .242/.324/.469 with 23 homers with 62 runs and 59 RBI in 109 games this season.

Manager Dave Roberts said Friday that he doesn't anticipate Freeman (personal) playing during the three-game weekend series against the Athletics, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Freeman is set to come off the family emergency list Saturday, but it's unlikely that he will return to action as he spends time with his family. Cavan Biggio will continue to start at first base for the Dodgers in Freeman's absence.

Wade is absent from the lineup for Friday's game in Cincinnati, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

The Reds are starting lefty Andrew Abbott, so the left-handed hitting Wade will begin the game on the bench as he typically does in such situations. New trade acquisition Mark Canha will play first base Friday for the Giants.

Toglia went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's extra-inning win over the Angels.

Toglia jumped on the second pitch he saw from Carson Fulmer in the second inning and sent it into the stands for a two-run shot, giving Colorado an early lead. It marked the first baseman's third long ball in his last six games and his 10th since the start of July. Toglia has also tallied multiple hits in three of his last eight contests, batting .300 over that stretch with six RBI and seven runs scored.

The Giants optioned Villar to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday.

Villar went 4-for-18 with eight strikeouts during his most recent stint in the big leagues. The Giants are expected to call up Jerar Encarnacion from Triple-A Sacramento to replace Villar on the active roster.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and two runs scored in Thursday's loss to the Cubs.

Goldschmidt took Shota Imanaga deep for a solo homer in the opening frame to give the Cardinals an early lead and went on to add two more knocks on the night to give him just his third game this season with three or more hits. The first baseman has now recorded multiple hits in six of his last 10 contests, going 14-for-39 (.435) over that stretch with three homers, four RBI and seven runs scored. Goldschmidt has also scored at least one run in five consecutive games.