MLB Player News

Bell is not starting Monday against the Nationals.

Bell was tried at leadoff for the Pirates' last three games but went just 2-for-13. He'll sit Monday with David Freese starting at first base.

Flores is on the bench for the first half of Monday's doubleheader against the Phillies.

Flores has hit in 12 of his last 14 games, going .296 with an .846 OPS over that stretch. He'll sit Monday afternoon with Dominic Smith playing first base in his place.

Rizzo, who went 0-for-5 with a strikeout in Sunday's win over the Reds, is now batting 4-for-22 (.182 average) in July.

Rizzo hasn't hit his usual stride yet this season, as he's now batting .244 with a .748 OPS. Both of those would be his lowest marks since 2013, which was his second season in Chicago. Since then, Rizzo hasn't posted an average lower than .273 or an OPS lower than .899. Despite his struggles to date, the 28-year-old's track record suggests a better second half is a distinct possibility.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-3 with a home run, walk, three RBI and two runs Saturday in the Diamondbacks' 20-5 win over the Padres.

Goldschmidt blasted one of five home runs on the night for Arizona, which set a single-game franchise scoring record in the rout. Arizona used a well-balanced attack to dispatch the Padres, as Goldschmidt's three RBI matched three other players for the team lead. The first baseman's slow start through the first two months of the season now looks to be a distant memory; he's slashing an incredible .376/.471/.752 with 13 home runs, 32 RBI and 29 runs over his last 34 games, though he hasn't provided any steals over that stretch.

Bell has batted leadoff in the last two games, going a combined 1-for-9 with a double and run scored.

Pittsburgh is looking for ways to jumpstart the offense, and nothing seems to be working. After falling to a season-low .233 batting average June 9, Bell has slashed .301/.395/.425 in his last 86 plate appearances. He's hit only five home runs and holds an overall OPS of .709, however. Many envisioned Bell taking over as the face of the franchise following Andrew McCutchen's departure, but things haven't yet clicked for the 25-year-old.

Flores went 3-for-4 with a double Saturday against the Rays.

Flores recorded his second three-hit effort of the season Saturday, though he didn't get any runs or RBI. While not spectacular, he has quietly hit well since coming off the disabled list June 15, recording at least one hit in all but two of his starts. He also has four home runs, 14 RBI and eight runs scored in that span.

Freeman went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI and two runs scored Saturday against the Brewers.

Freeman recorded his first three-hit game since June 5, though he is still hitting .310 for the season. He has also quietly been struggling to hit for power, as he has only four extra-base hits since June 22. Despite those recent struggles, it's hard to complain about anything Freeman has done this season as he ranks in the top 10 in the National League in batting average, home runs, RBI, runs scored, walks and slugging percentage.

Cooper went 2-for-3 with a walk in Friday's loss to the Nationals.

Getting the start in left field against southpaw Gio Gonzalez and hitting sixth, Cooper made an immediate impact in his return from a wrist injury that had sidelined him since April 1. The 27-year-old will likely settle in on the short side of a left-field platoon with Derek Dietrich, while also filling in for Justin Bour at first base on occasion, and he could be a useful addition to NL-only and deep fantasy league rosters for the second half.

Hoskins went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI, two walks and three runs scored in Friday's win over Pittsburgh.

Hoskins added insurance runs in both the seventh and ninth innings on the way to a huge 17-5 victory. He sits with 21 doubles and 14 homers on the season, but he hasn't shown consistent power, as he's slugging just .489.

Hiura (thumb sprain) is expected to return to the lineup for Double-A Biloxi on Friday, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The injury has sidelined him since June 29. He has a .322/.381/.523 slash line with nine home runs and 10 steals in 298 at-bats between High-A and Double-A this year and is a borderline top-10 prospect for fantasy purposes.