MLB Player News

Cabrera went 2-for-5 with a grand slam -- his 23rd home run of the season -- in Sunday's 17-0 rout of the Phillies.

It was his third homer in the last five games, and Cabrera's knee won't be an issue if all he needs to do is keep trotting around the bases. The shortstop's now slashing .337/.409/.651 through 82 September at-bats with six home runs, 15 RBI and 16 runs, helping to fuel the Mets' wild-card push.

Flores (wrist) is unlikely to return during the regular season, ESPN's Adam Rubin reports.

He remains not close to swinging a bat after suffering a setback Wednesday. Flores first injured his right wrist in a plate collision in Atlanta two weeks ago and has been diagnosed with a bone bruise. He has since received two cortisone shots, and is unlikely to contribute to the Mets down the stretch. Look for T.J. Rivera and Kelly Johnson to continue to fill in at the keystone over the final nine days of the regular season.

Cabrera (knee) is starting at shortstop and hitting second Saturday against the Phillies.

He left Friday's game after fouling a ball off his right knee, but continues to demonstrate his toughness as the season winds to a close and the Mets keep chasing a postseason berth. Cabrera may not be 100 percent healthy, but he's been so hot at the plate lately (.342/.419/.645 in September) that he should be deployed as usual.

Cabrera exited Friday's game against the Phillies with an apparent injury to his leg, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Cabrera fouled a ball off his leg in the fifth inning, but he didn't actually leave the game until two innings later, presumably as a result of the errant foul ball. If the injury amounts to something serious, Matt Reynolds or Gavin Cecchini could see unexpected time at short, that is if the Mets intend to leave Jose Reyes at third.

Rizzo went 3-for-5 with an RBI double, another two-bagger and a run in Friday's 5-0 victory over the Cardinals.

The slugging first baseman now has hits in seven straight, with four multi-hit efforts over that span. Rizzo has smacked three doubles and five homers overall in September as well, after notching only a pair of round-trippers in August. His 105 RBI are a new career high and he remains just a homer short of equaling the career-best 32 he posted in 2014.

Joseph is not in the lineup Friday against the Mets, Adam Rubin of ESPN reports.

This comes as no surprise, as Ryan Howard is expected to get more starts down the stretch as a last hurrah in Philadelphia. Joseph could come off the bench as a pinch hitter, though, especially given his solid power.

Manager Pete Mackanin said Howard will play a lot over the Phillies' final nine games of the season, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Howard returned to the starting lineup Thursday after missing a few games with a sore knee. He went 1-for-2 with a walk and his 23rd home run of the season. He's now hit .272/.344/.642 with nine home runs since the beginning of August.

Cabrera went 3-for-6 against the Phillies on Thursday, with his three-run homer turning an 8-6 deficit into a 9-8 walkoff win in the 11th inning.

The red-hot shortstop punctuated his no-doubter to right-center with one of the most emphatic bat flips you'll ever see, celebrating the Mets' third comeback of the evening. Cabrera's fantasy owners have been flipping with delight themselves, as the 30-year-old has been on an offensive rampage since returning from the disabled list in the middle of August. Over that 32-game span, Cabrera's hitting .365 with nine homers, four steals, 22 RBI and 20 runs. He's been the most valuable shortstop in baseball by a strong margin during that time. Always a competent hitter but never a star, Cabrera's sure to return to normality eventually, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him stay hot for what remains of the regular season.

Bell is not in the lineup Thursday against the Brewers.

Bell has received significant playing time since being called up in mid-August, but he'll get a regular day off with Starling Marte returning to the lineup. It's unclear what will happen to Bell's playing time with the All-Star coming back, but the situation should become clearer in the coming days.

Joseph is not in the lineup Thursday against the Mets, Jack McCaffery of the Delaware County Daily Times reports.

Ryan Howard is expected to get a good number of the starts at first base down the stretch as the Phillies prepare to give him a proper sendoff, so Joseph will begin that trend Thursday now that Howard's knee is back to full health. Joseph's playing time may be down a bit for the remainder of the season, although he'll likely be in consideration for the primary first base job headed into spring training.