MLB Player News

Rizzo (ankle) was added to the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

It was thought that Rizzo was still a few days away from being ready to play, but he worked out prior to Thursday's game without issue, so the Cubs felt comfortable getting him back in the lineup right away. Rizzo will lead off and play first base in his return.

Naylor is not in Thursday's lineup against the Brewers.

He will sit for the second time in the last three games. Now that Hunter Renfroe is fully healthy, Naylor will likely split time with him in right field over the rest of the season. Naylor is hitting .250/.365/.386 with one home run in 44 at-bats this month.

Hiura went 1-for-4 with a home run in Wednesday's loss to the Padres.

Padres starter Dinelson Lamet carved up the Brewers on Wednesday, outside of Hiura's sixth-inning solo shot that brought his team within a run. Hiura has not finished a game since rejoining the lineup a couple days ago, but he still received seven at-bats over the last two games and is 3-of-9 since returning to action Sept. 14 after missing just over two weeks with a hamstring injury. Hiura figures to play regularly the rest of the way, and it should not be much longer before he is ready to play a full nine innings again.

Alonso went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, two runs and a walk during a 7-4 victory against the Rockies on Wednesday.

With another long ball, Alonso sits one shy of 50 homers as a rookie. He's taken full advantage of the hitter-friendly conditions of Coors Field, as he went 6-for-11 (.545) with two homers and a double during the three-game series against the Rockies. Alonso leads the majors with 49 home runs and also has a .266 average, 113 RBI, 95 runs and one steal in 556 at-bats this year.

Walker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and another run scored in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Marlins.

Walker launched a solo homer in the fifth inning to extend Arizona's lead to 5-3. After recently enduring a 2-for-24 slump, Walker appears to be heating up once again. He's batting .259/.342/.466 on the season with 26 home runs and 78 runs scored.

Bell (groin) will not be available for the rest of the Pirates' current series against the Mariners or their next series against the Brewers, but is still trying to make it back before the season ends, Nubyjas Wilborn of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The Pirates don't have any incentive to rush Bell back from his injury, but it appears he is still hoping to make it back in order to end the season on a healthy note and add to his career-best 116 RBI. Assuming Bell does not play against the Brewers as expected, his next chance to play will come Sept. 24 against the Cubs.

Solano came off the bench and went 2-for-3 with a double, walk and a run scored Tuesday in the Giants' 7-6 win over the Red Sox in 15 innings.

Solano led off the top of the 15th with a ground-rule double and crossed home for the game-winning run on Alex Dickerson's sacrifice fly. With a .337/.367/.466 (120 wRC+) in 221 plate appearances this season, the 31-year-old has been a pleasant surprise for the Giants. Unfortunately for fantasy purposes, his role as a short-side platoon player hasn't presented many opportunities for him to bring value in mixed leagues with weekly lineup locks.

Bell (groin) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

It was reported Sunday that Bell would likely be out several days because of his injury, and that has turned out to be true, as he has not taken the field since. It remains to be seen when he will be ready for action again, but until he is, Jose Osuna figures to continue serving as the Pirates' primary first baseman.

Walker went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's 12-6 win over the Marlins. He also reached base when he was hit by a pitch.

Walker got back on track after managing only two hits and no RBI in 24 at-bats over his past seven games. The 28-year-old's slugging production has come to a bit of a standstill in the second half, but he doesn't appear in much danger of losing hold of his everyday job at first base with Jake Lamb having an even rougher time at the plate since the All-Star break.

Rizzo (ankle) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.

It doesn't come as a surprise that Rizzo is being held out, given that it was reported earlier in the week he would spend several more days in a boot. Victor Caratini will start at first base Wednesday for the second time in three days.