MLB Player News

Joseph went a combined 3-for-8 with a double, two solo home runs and a third run scored in Tuesday's doubleheader against the Marlins.

The Phillies dropped both ends of the twin bill thanks to some dreadful pitching, but Joseph did his best to slug the team towards comebacks. He hadn't homered since July 28, hitting just .155 (11-for-71) during that power outage, and it was beginning to look like the only thing keeping Rhys Hoskins from taking his job at first base was the fact that they needed Hoskins in left field due to all their outfield injuries. A big finish to 2017, however, could still help bolster Joseph's job prospects for next year.

Freeman went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI in Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Mariners.

He's now put together a tidy 11-game hitting streak, batting .404 (19-for-47) over that stretch, but Freeman's only got one homer and five RBI during the streak despite all those hits. His 1.047 OPS on the year remains elite, however, and his counting stat production should pick up again soon enough.

Smith is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

Smith is hitting just .158 (6-for-38) since being recalled from Triple-A, so he'll get the day off to clear his head after starting 11 of the last 12 games. Wilmer Flores will slide over to first base in his stead, pushing Asdrubal Cabrera over to third base while Gavin Cecchini starts at the keystone.

Goldschmidt went 0-for-5 in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Mets in 10 innings.

After opening August with hits in 15 of his first 17 games, during which he compiled 1.186 OPS, Goldschmidt has gone 0-for-11 over his last three contests. It's the longest hitless streak of the season for the MVP candidate, but since he's only struck out twice during that stretch, it appears Goldschmidt is still seeing the ball well. With three games to go in the series against a porous Mets pitching staff, it should be a matter of time before the hits trickle in again for Goldschmidt.

Rizzo was named National League Player of the Week on Monday after going 12-for 28 with two home runs and 13 RBI over his past seven games, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

This is the second time Rizzo has received this honor in his career, with the other coming in 2014. The 28-year-old is slashing .292/.391/.523 since the All-Star break and should remain a consistent producer for fantasy owners.

Bell is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Dodgers.

Bell owns an middling .230/.310/.416 line against southpaws this season, so he'll get the day off against lefty-throwing Alex Wood despite going 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBI in Sunday's win over the Cardinals. Jose Osuna will take over for him at first base, batting fifth.

Voit was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

While Voit has maintained a respectable .783 OPS over 43 games since receiving the call to the majors, the Cardinals hadn't been able to find regular starts for the first baseman, who has picked up just 23 at-bats in 18 games during August. The 26-year-old will get the chance to take back an everyday role with Memphis for the next week or so before presumably rejoining the Cardinals as a September call-up.

Bell went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI on Sunday in a 6-3 win over St. Louis at the Little League Classic.

Bell played the hero in front of a few thousand lucky fans in Williamsport, smacking a two-run bomb in the first inning off Cardinals starter Mike Leake before singling in a couple more runs in the third. He's been productive of late with 13 RBI over his last nine contests, giving the first baseman an impressive 72 in his sophomore season.

Bour (oblique) will resume baseball activities this week, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

He has been on the disabled list since July 25 with a strain of his right oblique, and it will be interesting to see if the Marlins push Bour back into action prior to the expansion of rosters on Sept. 1. Tomas Telis and Tyler Moore will continue to handle the bulk of the starts at first base in Bour's absence.

Joseph is out of Sunday's lineup against the Giants, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

He will sit for the second game in a row in favor of Rhys Hoskins at first base. The plan when Hoskins was originally promoted was for him to play primarily left field, but he has been so impressive (four home runs in 10 games) that the Phillies may have decided that he no longer needs to defer to Joseph at first base. It doesn't help that Joseph is in a 5-for-56 (.089) funk over his last 16 games.