MLB Player News

Bell will start at first base and bat cleanup in Thursday's matinee against the Tigers.

He had two of Pittsburgh's three hits Wednesday and also reached base with a walk. Bell hasn't started two of the last four games with opponents starting southpaws, as he's slashing .228/.301/.457 in 92 at-bats against left-handed pitching. Overall, he carries an .803 OPS through 113 games and has seen nearly the same number of pitches (4.05 per plate appearance) as he did last season (4.06) -- both impressive numbers. Bell has never faced Thursday's righty starter Drew VerHagen, who's allowed a career slash line of .306/.410/.459 to left-handed hitters.

Hoskins will join the Phillies prior to Thursday's game against the Mets, MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports.

The top prospect has been tearing it up at the Triple-A level this season with Lehigh Valley, hitting .284/.385/.581 with 29 home runs, 91 RBI and a .966 OPS. During Wednesday's game against Norfolk, Hoskins went 3-for-5 with one home run, five RBI and two runs, and should get an opportunity immediately with the big-league club during this weekend's series. Although the 24-year-old is typically stationed at first base, he may be in line to receive some time in left field while Aaron Altherr is on the DL with a hamstring injury. This will mark Hoskins' big-league debut after he spent the last three years moving up through the minor-league system.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Dodgers.

Goldschmidt's 443-foot blast to center field -- his 26th of the season -- temporarily tied things up in the fourth inning, but the Diamondbacks had little success mustering further rallies on the night against the Dodgers starter Alex Wood and relievers Josh Fields and Kenley Jansen. Though the All-Star first baseman has cooled down a bit with four consecutive 1-for-4 showings, he's still been able to take his production to greater heights since the All-Star break, submitting a 1.129 OPS while driving in 23 runs in 24 games.

Flores went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during Wednesday's loss to Texas.

It was the 13th homer of the year for Flores and his seventh against left-handed pitchers. It's worth noting that he entered Wednesday's game with an impressive .400 wOBA against southpaws dating back to last season and only built on that mark with the long fly. Flores is receiving consistent at-bats and sports a solid .281/.314/.492 slash line. His positional eligibility is also a nice fantasy bonus.

Rizzo is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Giants.

Manager Joe Maddon will give Rizzo the day off after eight straight starts with left-hander Madison Bumgarner on the hill. In his place, Willson Contreras slides over to first while Alex Avila sets up behind the plate.

Hoskins could be called up to join the Phillies as soon as Thursday, Matt Gelb and Matt Breen of Philly.com report.

Manager Pete Mackanin said he's excited to see Hoskins' bat. He added that Tommy Joseph has done well enough to warrant regular playing time over the rest of the season, but with Aaron Altherr (hamstring) expected to miss several weeks, it sounds like the Phillies will try Hoskins in left field. Hoskins made his first start at the position with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday. The 24-year-old has handled International League pitching easily, slashing .280/.383/.571 with 28 homers and 86 RBI, and should be a target in nearly all formats if he's unowned.

Cabrera is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rangers.

Cabrera will receive a standard day off after starting the past seven games and finally snapping his three-game hitless skid with a double Tuesday. In his place, Neil Walker draws the start at third, batting sixth.

Hoskins made his first start in left field Monday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Jordan Hall of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Hoskins made four putouts and did not commit an error over nine innings. He also went 2-for-5 with his 85th RBI of the season. The Phillies are clearly looking for a way to get Hoskins at-bats in the majors without having to bench Tommy Joseph. Hoskins is making another start in left field Tuesday, and could find his way to Philly soon if he continues to handle the transition to the outfield.

Bell is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Tigers.

Bell will take a seat with left-hander Matthew Boyd on the mound for the Tigers, opening up a starting role for Jose Osuna. It's the second time in three games that Bell will hit the bench against a lefty starter, which could become a regular occurrence the rest of the way with the 24-year-old slashing an unremarkable .228/.301/.457 versus southpaws this season.

Flores is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Rangers.

This is notable because Neil Walker is getting his first career start at first base with Jose Reyes starting at second base, so Flores could see his playing time diminish over the rest of the season, especially once top prospect Dominic Smith gets promoted from Triple-A. Flores is hitting .232 with five home runs over his last 69 at-bats.