MLB Player News

Cabrera will start at second base and bat second Wednesday against the Mets, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The hot-hitting Cabrera appears to have unseated Brian Dozier as the Nationals' primary option at the keystone, as he'll man the position for the third straight game and make his seventh start in the last nine games. Cabrera went 2-for-4 with a walk, double and two runs in Tuesday's 11-10 comeback win, boosting his slash line to .328/.405/.578 since signing with the Nationals in early August. Expect manager Dave Martinez to lean heavily on Cabrera until his bat cools off.

Cooper went 2-for-5 with an RBI double and solo homer in a 5-4 victory against the Pirates on Tuesday.

The first baseman smashed his homer to break a tied game in the 10th. This was his first contest with either two hits or two RBI since Aug. 18; he had only one such performance in August. Cooper is batting .272 with 13 home runs, 45 RBI and 49 runs in 346 at-bats this season.

Naylor isn't in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against Arizona.

Naylor has reached base safely in seven of his last eight contests, but he'll head to the bench for the second game of the series. Nick Martini is set to man left field and bat second.

Beaty went 2-for-4 with a home run, a stolen base and three RBI in a victory over Colorado on Monday.

Beaty drove in his first run by taking a pitch to the arm with the bases loaded in the first inning, plated another with an infield single in the second, and crushed a solo home run to right field in the sixth. The 26-year-old entered the season as a fringe top-30 prospect in the organization but has done well in his time with the big club, slashing .293/.344/.502 with eight homers, 42 RBI and four steals in 78 games.

Hoskins went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBI in a 7-1 victory against the Reds on Monday.

The 26-year-old started breaking out of his slump last week, and now he's going deep again. Hoskins only had two homers in all of August, so it's a great sign he's already matched that by Sept. 2. He needs a few more long balls to record his second straight 30-homer season. Hoskins is batting .241 with 27 home runs, 78 RBI, 76 runs and a stolen base in 477 at-bats this season.

Rizzo went 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI in Monday's 5-1 win over the Mariners. He was also hit by a pitch twice.

After getting plunked twice Monday, Rizzo has now been hit by a pitch 139 times in his Cubs career, which is a new franchise record. The 30-year-old has been beaned 25 times this season alone, which has likely given him a few bruises but also helped him compile a strong .408 on-base percentage.

Cabrera went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Monday's 7-3 loss to the Mets.

His ninth-inning shot off Tyler Bashlor ruined the Mets' combined shutout bid while continuing Cabrera's tear at the plate since coming over from the Rangers. In 18 games with the Nats this season, the veteran infielder is now slashing .317/.391/.567 with three homers and 22 RBI.

Blandino is starting at second base and batting ninth against the Phillies on Monday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Blandino got the nod at second instead of Josh VanMeter or Freddy Galvis. Galvis played both ends of Sunday's doubleheader, plus the Reds are facing lefty Drew Smyly, which is why it is Blandino at second instead of VanMeter.

Alonso went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's loss to Philadelphia.

Alonso got the Mets on the board with a homer to left field in the first inning. The blast extended his franchise single-season home run record to 43, tied for the major-league lead. Alonso is enjoying a phenomenal rookie season, complementing his home run total with a .265/.368/.589 slash line along with 102 RBI in 579 plate appearances.

Freeman went 3-for-4 with two homers and five RBI in Sunday's 5-3 win over the White Sox.

After crushing 11 homers in August, Freeman kept the hot streak rolling to start September. The slugging first baseman knocked a pair of two-run blasts before singling in another run in the eighth frame. He's up to 38 long balls with an NL-leading 114 RBI and .974 OPS.