MLB Player News

Walker went 2-for-3 with a grand slam and a solo home run in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Padres.

Walker opened the scoring with a solo shot in the second inning off Padres starter Garrett Richards. The first baseman then took reliever David Bednar deep in the seventh, putting an exclamation point on the comeback effort. Walker is up to 29 homers, 73 RBI and 85 runs scored while slashing .259/.349/.476 in 151 games.

Rizzo (ankle) remains on the bench Saturday against the Cardinals.

Rizzo's sprained ankle is clearly still bothering him, as he hasn't played since Wednesday. With the Cubs out of the playoff picture, it's quite likely that he won't play again this season. Victor Caratini will be the first baseman Saturday.

Flores is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Padres.

Flores has hit very well down the stretch, posting a .383/.426/.670 slash line while striking out just 8.9 percent of the time over his last 28 games. Eduardo Escobar slides to second base Saturday, with Jake Lamb starting at third.

Solano (calf) will start Saturday against the Dodgers, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Solano has been dealing with a calf injury and hadn't started a game in nearly three weeks. He'll lead off and play second base Saturday.

Alonso went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored Friday against the Braves.

Alonso cranked his 52nd home run of the 2019 campaign in the bottom of the first inning, tying Aaron Judge for the all-time rookie record. The 24-year-old slugger is slashing .260/.359/.582 over 159 games this season, and he'll have two more contests to take sole possession of the home-run record.

Solano (calf) isn't in the starting lineup for Friday's game against Los Angeles, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Solano was called on to pinch hit Thursday, his first action since Sept. 17. He's been battling a right calf injury, and while he doesn't appear ready to return to the lineup yet, he'll likely be available off the bench again Friday evening.

Freeman (elbow) is starting at first base and batting third Friday against the Mets.

Freeman sat three of the past four games to receive treatment for a bone spur in his right elbow, but he's good to go for the beginning of the final series of the regular season. According to Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Braves want the veteran first baseman to play two games this weekend, but Freeman hopes to be in the lineup for all three contests.

Rizzo (ankle) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.

There were some indications earlier in the week that Rizzo could be shut down after the Cubs were eliminated from playoff contention, and he'll now sit for the second straight game after leaving Wednesday's contest early. The 30-year-old suffered a right ankle sprain in mid-September that wasn't allowed to fully heal since he played through the injury, so it makes sense for the team to remain cautious. Victor Caratini receives another start at first base in his place.

Cabrera is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Indians.

Cabrera started the last three games and will head to the bench after going 4-for-8 with five runs scored, two RBI, a home run and three walks over that stretch. Howie Kendrick will cover the keystone while Matt Adams starts at first base.

Votto is not in the lineup for Friday's game at Pittsburgh.

Votto started the last eight contests but will head to the bench after going 0-for-10 with five strikeouts in the last two games. Alex Blandino receives the start at first base in the series opener.