MLB Player News

Freeman (elbow) is starting at first base and batting third Saturday against the Nationals, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

As expected, the Braves get their first baseman back after he left Friday's game with a sore right elbow. Freeman is tied for first in the majors with 117 RBI and his 38 homers are good for ninth best in MLB.

Bell (groin) is not in Saturday's lineup against the Cubs.

He exited Friday's game with left groin discomfort and the issue will keep him sidelined for at least one more game. Jose Osuna is starting at first base and hitting cleanup.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with two home runs and seven RBI in Friday's 10-0 win over the Brewers.

The veteran slugger's first campaign in St. Louis has been uneven -- the homers were his first since Aug. 24 -- but Goldschmidt is heating up with the playoffs looming, slashing .324/.479/.676 in September with 16 RBI through 12 games. On the season, he now has 31 home runs, reaching the 30-HR plateau for the third straight year and the fifth time in his career, and he's 11 RBI shy of his fourth career 100-RBI season with 15 games left on the schedule.

Rizzo went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and two runs in a 17-8 victory over the Pirates on Friday.

Joe Maddon's experiment with Rizzo in the leadoff spot worked Friday, as he reached base three times and still received a big opportunity with the bases loaded in the third, taking advantage with a grand slam. Rizzo is now 6-for-16 (.375) with two homers and six RBI in four games out of the leadoff spot this year. Overall, he's batting .286 with 26 home runs, 91 RBI, 86 runs and five steals in 489 at-bats this season.

Cooper's left Friday's contest versus the Giants with a knee injury, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

Cooper said after the game that he jammed his knee on a diving catch in the first inning. Tests showed no structural damage, which indicates Cooper dodged a more serious injury. He is day-to-day.

Votto went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's win over the Diamondbacks.

Votto opened the scoring with a two-run homer off Mike Leake in the third inning. The long ball was the 15th of the season for the 36-year-old, who continues to battle through a disappointing season -- he's batting .268/.359/.424 with 75 runs scored and 46 RBI. Votto has been hot the last few games however, collecting six hits over that stretch.

Freeman (elbow) may be back in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Freeman was pulled from Friday's matchup with right elbow soreness, but the Braves don't sound too worried. The All-Star first baseman should have a chance to return to the starting lineup for Saturday's matchup.

Cooper left Friday's game against the Giants due to an undisclosed injury, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

Cooper suffered the injury on a diving catch in the outfield, and he was spotted limping off the field shortly after. Harold Ramirez took over in right field.

Bell left Friday's game against the Cubs due to left groin discomfort, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The Pirates will consider Bell day-to-day moving forward, though there'll be no need to push their star first baseman back into action at this point in the season, considering Pittsburgh is out of the playoff picture.

Freeman was removed from Friday's game against the Nationals due to right elbow soreness.

The Braves announced that Freeman's removal was precautionary, but he's likely headed for further evaluation to ensure the issue isn't serious. Charlie Culberson replaced Freeman at first base.