MLB Player News

Bell went 3-for-4 with a home run, double, walk, three runs and two RBI in Thursday's 14-6 win over the Rockies.

Bell already provided the highlight of the series a night earlier when he splashed down in the Allegheny River for his 15th home run of the season, but he turned in quite the encore performance Thursday. After reaching base four times and adding two more extra-base knocks to his ledger, Bell raised his OPS to 1.126, trailing only the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger (1.243) and the Brewers' Christian Yelich (1.172).

Naylor will be called up by the Padres to debut Friday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

The 21-year-old has big raw power and a good hit tool as well. He's hit .299/.378/.538 with 10 homers in 45 games for Triple-A El Paso this season. He hasn't received good reports for his defense in the outfield corners, which affects his fantasy value directly as it could limit his starting opportunities even if he hits well. He's a best fit for first base, but there's been no indication Eric Hosmer's starting role is at risk. The Padres will have back-to-back road series at the Blue Jays and Yankees, so he could see work in at least a handful of games in this seven-game interleague stretch as designated hitter; how long he stays with the big club after that is unknown.

Rizzo went 4-for-5 with a solo home run, three runs and three RBI in the Cubs' 9-7 defeat to the Phillies on Thursday.

Rizzo put up a big day at the dish in a losing effort for the Cubs, blasting his 13th long ball of the season in the seventh inning off Pat Neshek as part of a four-hit day. After a slow start, Rizzo now has his average up to .274 through 168 at-bats as he looks primed for another standout season at the plate for the Cubs.

Bell went 3-for-4 with a home run, double, walk, three runs and two RBI in Thursday's 14-6 win over the Rockies.

Bell already provided the highlight of the series a night earlier when he splashed down in the Allegheny River for his 15th home run of the season, but he turned in quite the encore performance Thursday. After reaching base four times and adding two more extra-base knocks to his ledger, Bell raised his OPS to 1.126, trailing only the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger (1.243) and the Brewers' Christian Yelich (1.172).

Freeman reached four times Wednesday at Oracle Park, finishing 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in a 9-2 win over the Giants.

Freeman stayed hot as he smacked a 421-foot homer to deep right center off Jeff Samardzija in the second inning. The long ball was Freeman's team-leading 12th of the season and fifth in the last seven games as the veteran first baseman continues on an eight-game hitting streak. Freeman is now batting .325 with 35 runs scored and 31 RBI.

Cooper went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Tigers.

His sixth-inning shot off Daniel Norris not only sparked a Marlins rally from a 3-0 deficit, it was Cooper's first career homer in the majors. The 28-year-old was making his eighth straight start in right field, but his .214 average (6-for-28) and 4:9 BB:K over that stretch don't give him a lot of job security.

Rizzo went 1-for-3 with a walk, a three-run home run and two runs scored in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Phillies.

Rizzo's three-run blast and a grand slam from Albert Almora did most of the damage for the Cubs. The 29-year-old first baseman got off to a bit of a slow start this season, but he's now up to 12 home runs and 34 RBI through 43 games to go along with a .927 OPS.

Walker went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Padres.

Walker has experienced the peaks and valleys most inexperienced major-league hitters endure. He's in a valley right now. The 28-year-old is hitting .184 (16-for-87) with one home run and three RBI over the last 23 games. As Walker's slump stretches on, reinforcements are on the way. Jake Lamb (quadriceps) is ramping up activity and could return by the end of the month. That could have an impact on Walker's playing time.

Flores was diagnosed with a fractured right foot Wednesday, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports.

Flores suffered the injury when he was hit by a pitch Sunday and subsequently landed on the 10-day injured list. The 27-year-old has no official timeline for his return since the severity of the fracture remains unclear, but it seems safe to say he'll spend more than the 10-day minimum on the shelf. Ketel Marte figures to take over as the primary second baseman in his absence, likely to the benefit of Jarrod Dyson in center field.

Smith could see some time in the outfield going forward, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Smith started 10 games in left field last season but graded out very poorly there according to both DRS and UZR. The Mets decided this spring that the experiment was over, but with Keon Broxton now in Baltimore and Brandon Nimmo (neck), Michael Conforto (concussion) and Jeff McNeil (hamstring) all battling injuries, the option is back on the table.