MLB Player News

Rizzo is not in the lineup against the Reds on Friday.

Rizzo will occupy a spot on the bench for the second consecutive day following the club's division-clinching win. In his place, Alex Avila will man first base and bat seventh in the order.

Bell went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Thursday's loss to Washington.

Bell's second homer in as many outings tied the game in the top of the ninth inning and brought him up to 26 for the season. Thursday's blast ties Bell with Jason Bay for the organization's rookie home-run record. The 25-year-old first baseman has posted a respectable .256/.333/.471 slash line with 89 RBI and 73 runs to go along with the round trippers, and he projects to be a key cog in the Pittsburgh lineup for years to come.

Rizzo is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

The Cubs wrapped up a division title Wednesday, so manager Joe Maddon will rest his starters in Thursday's series finale. Victor Caratini is starting at first base and batting sixth in his place.

Votto went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and two runs against the Brewers on Wednesday.

He got this game started off on the right note, hitting a first-inning solo shot that turned out to be all the offense the Reds would need -- though they added more. With four games left in his season, Votto now has 36 homers, one shy of his career best, and he needs just one more RBI to hit 100 for the first time since 2011. Oh, he also has a ridiculous 133:80 BB:K, by far the best ratio in the majors.

Bell went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Orioles.

He now has 25 homers on the year, leaving Bell one shy of Jason Bay's franchise rookie record. The young switch hitter has faded a bit down the stretch in his first full big-league campaign, but he'll still head into 2018 as a key piece of the Pirates' offense.

Smith is not in the lineup against the Braves on Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Smith will head to the bench after going 0-for-3 with a walk during Tuesday's affair, in favor of Kevin Plawecki, who will man first base during the series finale. Over the last 10 games, Smith is hitting just .086/.135/.086 with three singles and 14 strikeouts.

Rizzo went 0-for-4 with a walk in Tuesday's loss to the Cardinals.

Rizzo has been scuffling a bit lately, as he has just one hit in his last 15 at-bats and he's hitting just .241 this month. Rizzo is too talented to stay in a slump for long.

Voit blasted a solo home run in a pinch-hit at-bat during Monday's 10-2 loss to the Cubs.

The rookie hasn't drawn a start since Aug. 30, and his seventh-inning solo blast was his first round tripper since July 9. The 25-year-old has acquitted himself reasonably well in his first regular-season exposure to big-league arms, slashing .250/.308/.444 with four homers and 18 RBI over 117 plate appearances, although his 25.6 percent strikeout rate leaves plenty of room for improvement. Voit will look to make an impression in spring training next year and build on the experience he gained this season.

Goldschmidt is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Giants.

The Diamondbacks clinched home field for the NL wild-card game with Sunday's walkoff win, so Goldschmidt will get a well-deserved breather Monday. In his place, Christian Walker will start at first base and bat cleanup.

Bell, who went hitless in three at-bats Sunday, is slashing .138/.219/.155 in his last 64 plate appearances.

He's driven in just one run despite batting fourth or fifth in all 17 games. The Pirates as a whole have struggled to produce offense in September, and Bell may simply be running out of steam in his first full MLB season. Despite the slump, the 25-year-old ranks second on the team with 595 plate appearances and a .787 OPS.