MLB Player News

Flores went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks in Friday's 3-0 win over San Diego.

Since Brandon Belt (thumb) went on the injured list, Flores has started three of four games at first base, with the other game going to LaMonte Wade. Flores had been little more than a bench option prior to Belt's injury, but the former has hit .400 (8-for-20) with five walks and two doubles in his last 10 games. Flores could still end up on the short side of a platoon, but he's a natural infielder, which bodes well for his usage in the postseason.

Walker went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 9-7 loss to the Rockies.

Walker finished off Arizona's seven-run third inning with his 10th home run. The season was a step back for Walker, who came out of nowhere to take command at first base in 2019 but became a platoon bat in 2021. His .684 OPS ranks 29th among first basemen with at least 300 at-bats. The 31-year-old is arbitration eligible and shouldn't break the bank to keep around in 2022, but the Diamondbacks may give Pavin Smith a chance at being the everyday first baseman next season.

Tellez (kneecap) is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list Friday, Sophia Minnaert of Bally Sports Wisconsin reports.

Tellez appeared in two rehab games at Triple-A Nashville this week and went 2-for-6 with a homer, three RBI, two runs, two walks and a strikeout. He rejoined the Brewers on Friday but won't be activated ahead of the series opener against the Dodgers. Instead, he's slated to return to the lineup for Saturday's matchup.

Wade (knee) is starting Friday's game against the Padres, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Wade was held out of Thursday's lineup after he was banged up Wednesday, but he still appeared off the bench and went 1-for-2 with an RBI. He'll start in right field and lead off in Friday's series opener.

Freeman is not in the lineup Friday against the Mets.

Freeman started the past 45 games and posted a .308/.376/.505 slash line with seven homers, 19 RBI and 38 runs during that stretch. and he'll head to the bench Friday for a well-deserved day off after Atlanta clinched the NL East division title Thursday. Austin Riley will shift to first base while Ehire Adrianza starts at the hot corner.

Walker went 4-for-5 with a double and a run in a 5-4 loss to San Francisco on Thursday.

Walker singled in the fist inning, singled and scored in the fifth, doubled in the seventh and singled in the ninth for his second four-hit game of the season. The successful performance was long overdue as the 30-year-old was only 1-for-15 over his last six games. Walker is now slashing .254/.315/.388 in 21 September contests.

Alonso went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI on Thursday in a 12-3 win over the Marlins.

Alonso broke a scoreless tie with a solo homer in the second inning and rounded out the scoring with a two-run blast in the eighth. They were the 36th and 37th homers of the season for Alonso, who had just one extra-base hit in his previous six games. Alonso is hitting .259 with 92 RBI and an .855 OPS in 625 plate appearances this season.

Wade (knee) is not in Thursday's lineup against the Diamondbacks, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Wade got banged up in Wednesday's game but the injury is not believed to be serious. He likely would have been out of the lineup with a left-hander on the mound regardless, so he'll have the chance to return for Friday's contest. Wilmer Flores enters the lineup at first base and will hit seventh.

Hiura was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Thursday.

Hiura has been in the minors since mid-August, and he slashed .150/.274/.280 with three home runs, four doubles, 10 RBI and eight runs across 31 games since his demotion. The 25-year-old has hit .166 across 59 major-league appearances this year and should serve as a depth option heading into the final series of the regular season.

Goldschmidt will sit Thursday against the Brewers, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The Cardinals typically don't rotate their lineup much, but they've given several regulars a rest over the last two days after clinching a playoff spot Tuesday. Matt Carpenter will play first base Thursday.