Goldschmidt (back) is starting at first base and batting second Friday against the Reds, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Goldschmidt has sat out the Cardinals' last two games while dealing with back tightness, but the issue seems to have subsided ahead of Friday's contest. The 36-year-old first baseman has been held hitless (0-for-8) over his last three games.

Montero went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double, a walk and four total runs scored in Thursday's 14-5 win over the Dodgers.

This was arguably Montero's base game of the year from a fantasy perspective. He's logged six three-hit efforts, four of which have come since Aug. 15. The infielder is at a .247/.294/.417 slash line with nine homers, 37 RBI, 37 runs scored, 15 doubles and no stolen bases through 82 contests overall.

Olson went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Cubs.

Olson put Atlanta ahead in the first inning with his blast. He's up to 54 homers this year, 11 of which have come in September, a month in which he's batting .343 with 24 RBI over 26 games. For the year, the first baseman has a .281/.387/.605 slash line with 136 RBI, 126 runs scored and one stolen base through 159 contests. If he remains in the lineup each day for the three-game series versus the Nationals, he'll achieve his fourth campaign of playing in every contest.

Manager Oliver Marmol said Goldschmidt is out of the lineup Thursday at Milwaukee due to back tightness, Bally Sports Midwest reports.

Goldschmidt also sat Wednesday, though Marmol indicated that the back issue is nothing serious. "We want to make sure he's good to play when we get back home in front of our own fans [for the final weekend in St. Louis]," Marmol said Thursday. "No reason to really push through it today." Luken Baker has been filling in at first base.

Goldschmidt remains out of the lineup Thursday at Milwaukee.

There's no word of an injury, but Goldschmidt did not play in the Cardinals' 3-2 loss to the Brewers on Wednesday and will ride the pine again in Thursday's series finale. Luken Baker is starting at first base as Juan Yepez fills the DH role.

Alonso went 5-for-8 with two doubles, a home run, four total runs and two RBI in Wednesday's doubleheader split against the Marlins.

The first baseman did most of his damage in an 11-2 rout during the matinee, coming a triple short of the cycle and launching his 46th homer of the season in the first inning off Braxton Garrett. Alonso has four games left on the Mets' schedule to reach 50 homers for the second time in his career.

Freeman went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a stolen base in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Rockies.

Freeman put the game out of reach for the Dodgers in the eighth inning with a 412-foot, three-run shot to right field. It was his second homer in as many days following a 23-game stretch during which he went deep just once. Freeman's three RBI in the win pushed his total to 101 on the campaign, marking his second straight triple-digit RBI season and the fourth of his big-league career. He's also tallied a career-high 23 thefts while belting 28 long balls, scoring 128 runs and posting a standout .333/.412/.368 slash line over 713 plate appearances.

Cooper went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in Wednesday's 5-2 extra-inning win over the Giants.

Cooper tied the game at 2-2 with his seventh-inning blast. The first baseman logged just his second multi-hit effort in September, a month in which he's gone 10-for-48 (.208) with three homers and nine RBI over 18 games. He's at a .254/.306/.426 slash line with 17 homers, 18 doubles, 61 RBI, 42 runs scored and no stolen bases through 121 games between San Diego and Miami this year.

Flores (knee) is starting at third base and batting third Wednesday against San Diego, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Flores missed two straight starts due to soreness in his right knee, but he was able to pinch hit during Tuesday's contest and will now return to the lineup Wednesday. The 32-year-old has been in a bit of a skid at the plate recently, going just 2-for-13 across his last six games.

Choi is absent from the lineup Wednesday against the Giants.

Garrett Cooper will start at first base and bat sixth as the Padres roll out a righty-heavy attack versus Giants left-hander Sean Manaea. Choi remains hitless in 33 plate appearances with San Diego and carries a .125/.211/.313 slash line versus lefties this year.