MLB Player News

Carter is not in the lineup for Monday's series opener against the Diamondbacks.

Carter will get his first rest since July 4 after collecting just one hit in 16 at-bats over the last four games. Jonathan Lucroy will move out from behind the plate to man first, while Martin Maldanado will catch Chase Anderson and bat eighth for the Brewers.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-4 with his 17th home run of the season in Sunday's win over the Reds.

Goldschmidt might not match last season's 33 home runs, but he's still putting up great numbers once again. His 17 home runs are joined by 63 RBI, 13 steals and a .289/.410/.504 slash line, so Goldschmidt remains an elite fantasy option.

Joseph is out of the lineup Sunday against the Pirates.

Joseph has started back-to-back games and five of the last six overall, but will take a seat Sunday in favor of veteran Ryan Howard at first base. The 25-year-old Joseph owns a shining 1.243 OPS in July, due mostly to his five long balls, so look for the younger option to be a fixture at first the rest of the way out.

Freeman had stitches removed from his back Saturday, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Freeman had undergone a procedure 11 days ago to remove a mole from an area just below his neck. The stitches, Freeman said, were not a factor in a recent slump that saw him go 2-for-27 with 15 strikeouts in the seven games since the All-Star break.

Votto went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer, two walks and two runs Friday against the Diamondbacks.

Votto launched his 17th bomb of the season in the first inning to give the Reds a 3-2 lead in a home victory. He's now left the yard in three of his last four games to raise his slugging percentage to .483.

Flores will play first base and hit fourth for the Mets on Friday.

Flores has homered in each of his last two games, allowing manager Terry Collins to slot him into the cleanup spot on Friday. Flores will hit behind Jose Reyes, Curtis Granderson and Yoenis Cespedes as they take on Adam Conley and the Marlins. On the season, Flores is hitting .333/.390/.704 with six home runs and 13 RBI in 54 at-bats against left-handed pitching. Flores makes for a great play on Friday.

Freeman went 0-for-4 Thursday night with two strikeouts.

The 0-for-4 performance adds to a rough last seven games for Freeman, who has gone 2-for-27 with 15 strikeouts in that span. The 26-year-old is hitting .270/.356/.496 on the year.

Howard went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Thursday's loss to Miami.

Howard's fourth-inning blast, his 14th of the season, gave him 30 RBI on the year. It's no secret that the veteran has been putting on a sad campaign to watch in 2016, but he has improved - albeit in small increments - of late. Across the board, Howard's slash line of .160/.219/.376 is higher than it's been since mid-May. Despite the improvement, it is still a hard pill to swallow outside of the deepest leagues.

Rizzo hit his 23rd and 24th home runs of the season Wednesday off Bartolo Colon in the Cubs' win over the Mets.

Rizzo easily shook off Tuesday's golden sombrero performance, coming back with a fury against the Mets. Overall, Rizzo has been quite hot of late, hitting .345/.436/.726 in his last 30 games. Both of Wednesday's homers travelled more than 435 feet, a testament to Rizzo's incredible power. He now has 71 RBI on the season, tied for most in the NL with Nolan Arenado. Rizzo continues to prove he's one of the league's premier hitters.

Cabrera is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Cubs.

He, along with several other Mets regulars, will get the day game off after Tuesday's night game. Jose Reyes will slide over to shortstop with Wilmer Flores getting the start at third base.