MLB Player News

Smith is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Twins.

He is just 3-for-28 in eight games this month, and will take a seat despite the fact that the Mets have the designated hitter spot at their disposal while playing in Minnesota. Adeiny Hechavarria starts at second base, allowing Robinson Cano to start at designated hitter.

Bell isn't in Wednesday's starting lineup against the Cardinals.

He's played in all but one of Pittsburgh's first 94 games and is slashing .220/.313/.504 since the end of May. Bell has still produced power during his slump, however, hitting nine homers and 32 RBI over the stretch. Jose Osuna will replace him for the afternoon at first base.

Hiura went 3-for-3 with two walks, a home run, three runs scored and two RBI in Tuesday's 13-1 rout of Atlanta.

The rookie's solo shot in the second inning got the Brewers rolling, and he remains a key part of the offense after that. Hiura is making sure he's in no danger of a return trip to Triple-A, slashing .357/.438/.661 with four homers, four steals, nine runs and nine RBI in 15 games since his return to Milwaukee in late June.

Flores (foot) will be reassessed Wednesday after playing two rehab games at Triple-A Reno, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Flores recently moved his rehab from the rookie-level Arizona League to Reno and went 4-for-9 with four RBI. If all checks out, he could be activated for Thursday's game against Milwaukee.

Cooper went 2-for-5 with two walks, a home run, three RBI and three runs scored Tuesday against the Padres.

Cooper reached base four times, including on a timely hit in the bottom of the second that drove in a pair of runs. In the eighth inning he took Robbie Erlin deep to record his 11th home run of the season. Cooper has quietly swung the bat well this season, hitting .315/.389/.520 across 226 plate appearances. He's shown no signs of slowing recently, posting three multi-hit games -- with three home runs -- in four contests since the All-Star break.

Walker will not start Tuesday against Texas.

Walker gets the day off even with the DH spot available in the American League park. Kevin Cron will fill that position, with Jake Lamb starting at first base.

Shaw has hit for a combined 18 homers and 62 RBI across two levels in the minors this season.

Shaw slashed .288/.368/.500 in 45 games with Double-A Richmond, and hasn't missed a beat since his promotion to Triple-A Sacramento (.291/.348/.574 in 35 games). The 25-year-old slugger started in Double-A after struggling at Triple-A last season, but he has apparently taken a big step forward in the plate discipline department. The Giants are currently set at first base and left field, so it may take some trades at the deadline to open up a spot for Shaw on the major-league roster.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-2 with a two-run double, two walks and three runs in a win over the Pirates on Monday.

The impactful hits that have largely eluded Goldschmidt for the majority of the season continued to materialize Monday. Goldschmidt has racked up three doubles and three home runs over 40 plate appearances across his first 10 games in July, giving his slugging percentage a quick 25-point boost to .430. While that remains well below his career .524 figure, his recent surge and the fact he's sporting a career-high 49.2 percent hard-contact rate hint at the possibility that Goldschmidt may be primed to continue his ascent back up.

Hiura went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI and a stolen base in Monday's loss to the Braves.

Hiura has come out of the gates hot in the second half, going 9-for-16 (.563) with five extra-base hits, four RBI, and two steals in four games. The player Hiura replaced in the Brewers' starting lineup, Travis Shaw, is getting things going at the Triple-A level, but Hiura doesn't seem to be in any mood to swap spots again. He now owns a .915 OPS through 31 big-league games.

Freeman went 1-for-3 with a walk and a three-run home run in Monday's 4-2 win over the Brewers.

His fourth-inning shot was all the offense Max Fried and the Atlanta bullpen would need on the night. Freeman only has two hits in 15 at-bats since the All-Star break, but both of them have left the yard, giving him 25 homers and 74 RBI through 94 games to go with his .302/.388/.582 slash line.