MLB Player News

Goldschmidt went 2-for-5 with a run in a win over the Nationals on Wednesday.

Goldschmidt opened the new month on a positive note after going 1-for-14 over his previous three games. The veteran slugger has a solid .264/.350/.512 line through 137 plate appearances, but his 26.3 percent strikeout rate is an aspect of his game with plenty of room for improvement.

Smith will start at first base and hit second Thursday against the Reds.

Smith is making just his fourth start of the season with Pete Alonso getting a rare day off. Though Alonso has slumped over the past week and a half, his struggles would need to become far more pronounced before the Mets seriously entertain regularly benching him in favor of Smith.

Votto is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets.

This just looks to be routine rest for Votto with the Reds and Mets concluding their series with a day game after a night game. Derek Dietrich will swap in for Votto at first base and bat third.

France will start at third base and bat fifth Thursday against the Braves.

Fernando Tatis Jr.'s (hamstring) move to the injured list earlier this week has resulted in Manny Machado taking over as the everyday shortstop, leaving the hot corner open for France. After amassing an incredible 1.407 OPS at Triple-A El Paso prior to being promoted last week, France has yet to get going in the majors, recording only two hits in 13 at-bats. Though France will be making his third start in a row Thursday, he may need to catch fire again quickly in order to ensure he sticks in an everyday role for the duration of Tatis' absence.

Alonso is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Reds.

Alonso will rest in the series finale in favor of Dominic Smith, who will assume the former's usual duties at first base and as the Mets' No. 2 hitter. The rookie is currently stuck in the first slump of his young career, as he's reached base at just a .265 clip while homering once and striking out 11 times over the last eight games.

Hoskins went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against Detroit.

Hoskins took Zac Reininger deep in the eighth inning to add an insurance run to the Phillies' lead. It was his ninth homer of the season and third in his past seven games. Though power is up around the league, Hoskins continues to stand out with his bat, racking up a 1.011 OPS across 132 plate appearances this season.

Rizzo went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 11-0 win over the Mariners.

Rizzo now has seven home runs and 20 RBI this season, putting him on pace for another 30-home run, 100-RBI campaign. The slugger's .231 batting average is still fairly low for his standards, though there's plenty of time for that number to rise.

Cooper won't play Wednesday after getting hit in the left hand by a pitch on Tuesday, but he could be back in action for the weekend series against the Braves, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

Cooper suffered the injury on his first day back from a month-long absence due to a calf strain. X-rays came back negative, but he'll sit for at least one day with a bruise.

Flores is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Yankees.

Flores will retreat to the bench for Wednesday's series finale despite going 2-for-3 with a walk and a two-run homer in Tuesday's 3-1 win. Ketel Marte is starting at the keystone in his place, with Jarrod Dyson getting the start in center field.

Bell went 2-for-5 with a walk and a two-run double against the Rangers on Tuesday.

He ranks 10th in the major leagues with an average exit velocity of 94.2 mph -- he finished 97th with an average exit velocity of 90 mph in 2018. Bell leads Pittsburgh in runs (16), doubles (eight), homers (six) and RBI (21). The switch hitter's hitting both left-handed pitching (.870 OPS) and righties (.990 OPS) and is on track to help make fantasy owners forget about his disappointing 2018 campaign.