MLB Player News

Smith will start in left field and bat fifth Thursday against the Phillies, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Smith will be making his fourth consecutive start and looks poised to continue seeing regular action against right-handed pitching, at least while he's wielding a hot bat. The 24-year-old has contributed solo home runs in each of the past three contests and maintains a 1.044 OPS in 128 plate appearances this season. The Mets can live with his limitations in the outfield so long as he continues to rake.

Bell went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer against the Astros on Wednesday. He also scored three runs and drew a pair of walks.

The home run was Bell's third in June and 21st overall. He's hitting .222/.330/.457 for the month after slashing .390/.442/.797 with 12 homers in May. The first baseman continues to lead the majors with 28 doubles and 68 RBI. He's already surpassed his extra-base total from 2018 (47) with 52.

Toglia went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, an RBI, a walk and three runs for Low-A Boise on Wednesday.

Toglia had gone hitless since getting a knock in his professional debut last Friday, but he flashed some of the offensive prowess that led the Rockies to make him the No. 23 pick in the 2019 first-year player draft in this contest. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound switch-hitter slashed .314/.392/.624 with 17 homers and 65 RBI as a junior for UCLA last season.

Smith went 3-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored Thursday against the Phillies.

Smith took Nick Pivetta deep in the fourth inning to record his seventh home run of the season and third in as many games. He's thoroughly enjoyed facing the Phillies' pitching staff, collecting six hits while scoring five runs and driving in three across three games during the just-concluded series. Though he remains out of the lineup fairly regularly, Smith has made his case for more playing time by posting a .339/.438/.606 line across 128 plate appearances.

Solano went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run Tuesday in the Giants' 4-2 win over the Rockies.

Solano drew a second consecutive start in the middle infield, spelling a slumping Joe Panik at the keystone. Though he was able to extend his hitting streak to five games, Solano's dearth of power and speed, poor team context and lack of steady at-bats are all reasons that make it difficult to get excited about him for fantasy purposes. With Panik and everyday shortstop Brandon Crawford both in the lineup for Wednesday's series finale, Solano will resume his usual bench role.

Walker is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Walker will retreat to the bench for Wednesday's series finale, while Jake Lamb, who is back from a quadriceps injury, will start in his place. It remains to be seen how playing time will shake out with Lamb healthy, but Walker's .833 OPS should still help afford him plenty of opportunities.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Tuesday's loss to the Phillies.

After going 15 games without a homer, Smith has now gone deep in back-to-back starts. The 24-year-old is slashing .321/.419/.566 on the year with six home runs and 12 RBI in 124 plate appearances, numbers which should encourage manager Mickey Callaway to continue trying to find ways to get him into the lineup more frequently.

Votto went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a loss to the Angels on Tuesday.

Votto plated the first and only run of the game for the Reds in the first inning, drilling a 410-foot home run to center field. It was his second homer in as many games and fourth overall in June, matching his total in April and May combined. The 2010 NL MVP is having a down year by his standards as his slash line now sits at .261/.358/.418 in 261 at-bats.

Smith went 2-for-5 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Monday's loss to the Phillies.

The homer was his fifth of the year and first since June 6, with Smith slashing a tepid .200/.314/.300 in 35 plate appearances between the long balls. Playing time remains inconsistent for the 24-year-old even with occasional starts in left field, a situation that isn't likely to change with Pete Alonso entrenched at first base.

Walker went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run, a pair of runs and a walk in the Diamondbacks' 8-5 win over the Dodgers on Monday.

Walker had cooled down after a torrid start to the season, but he's been heating back up lately, as he's now hit safely in nine straight, recording four multi-hit efforts over that span. He provided a big early blow in this contest, cranking a three-run first-inning long ball off Clayton Kershaw. The hot streak has boosted Walker's slash line up to .269/.342/.502 to go along with 14 homers and 34 RBI through 271 at-bats.