MLB Player News

Bell is starting in right field for Thursday night's tilt with the Cardinals, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune reports.

Bell only played four games of right field since transitioning to first base in 2014, but it seems that manager Clint Hurdle wants to keep the switch-hitter's bat in the lineup as much as possible during the Pirates' postseason push. It's unclear if he'll garner more than a couple starts in the outfield prior to the season's conclusion, but if Starling Marte (back) continues to sit out, today's lineup shows that it's not out of the realm of possibility for Bell to slot in somewhere other than first base.

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with his 29th homer Wednesday, accounting for the Cubs' only run in a 2-1 loss to Milwaukee.

The next long ball Rizzo delivers will give him his third consecutive 30-homer season, and he's just three short of racking up 100 RBI for the second straight year as well. Indeed, it's been another fantastic year for the lefty-hitting slugger -- yet he still has only the second-best set of stats on his own team, thanks to the star turn Kris Bryant's taken.

Flores came off the bench to hit a pinch-hit, two-run home run in the eighth inning to help the Mets cap a 6-3 win over the Reds on Wednesday.

Flores has been an everyday starter of late, and was getting a rest day Wednesday before manager Terry Collins decided to use him as a pinch hitter. The home run was Flores' 16th of the year, and brought his batting line up to .270/.323/.473 to go along with his 49 RBI.

Bour is in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Bour was able to take a pinch-hit at-bat Tuesday night after being activated from the disabled list, but he will be in the lineup Wednesday for the first time since spraining his ankle July 2. Bour will man first base and hit sixth against Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson.

Flores is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN.com.

Flores tallied six hits over his last three games, but he will get a day off after making nine straight starts. Kelly Johnson will get the start at second base Wednesday afternoon.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts in Tuesday's loss to the Dodgers.

It's been a bit of a struggle recently for the star slugger. Goldschmidt is 4-for-26 (.154) over the last week, and he has seven strikeouts in his last 11 at-bats. Given his pedigree, Goldschmidt will likely put together a hot streak soon.

The Marlins activated Bour (ankle) from the disabled list Tuesday.

Bour's recovery from the sprained ankle he suffered in early July has been a little rocky, but he is finally ready to get back on the field. While he will be on the roster Tuesday, he will not immediately jump back into the lineup, as Xavier Scruggs will get the start at first base. Bour owns just a .500 OPS against southpaws this season and Scruggs has played regularly of late, so the Marlins could utilize a first-base platoon the rest of the way.

Carter went 1-for-3 on Monday, launching his third home run in as many days.

The first baseman has been a strong source of power all season for the Brewers, launching 33 home runs to go with 78 RBI. Carter has already eclipsed his home run and RBI totals from a season ago, and his .228 batting average -- though unspectacular in a vacuum -- would be his highest mark for a season since 2012.

Bell is out of the lineup Monday against the Cardinals, MLB.com's Adam Berry reports.

For the second straight day, Bell will occupy a bench role while John Jaso settles in as the starter at first base. Bell has been in a bit of a slump over his past five games with a 1-for-16 showing at the plate, but since he's performed generally well during his brief time in the big leagues, don't expect the Pirates to give up on him as a regular starter just yet.

Cabrera is not in the lineup for Monday's matinee against the Reds.

The Mets arrived in Cincinnati in the middle of the night following their Sunday night game against the Nationals and face the Reds at 12:10 pm local time. Manager Terry Collins opted to rest some of his veterans - Asdrubal Cabrera, Jose Reyes, Yoenis Cespedes and Curtis Granderson, - though each should be available to pinch-hit. Recently promoted Matt Reynolds replaces Cabrera, who is still playing through his knee injury, at short.