MLB Player News

Bell has started six straight games at first base, going 6-for-17 with five walks since his recall from Triple-A Indianapolis.

The Pirates moved him into the No. 2 spot Friday for the first time and he responded with a 1-for-3 night (in addition to a walk). Bell has already come out early in three of six starts due to defensive weaknesses, but he's still seeing plenty of action. The switch hitter has batted left-handed in all but one of his 27 at-bats. He's seeing an average of 4.30 pitches per plate appearance, comparable to both Joey Votto (4.31) and Paul Goldschmidt (4.29).

Smith went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs batted in and a run scored Thursday and is now hitting .306/.370/.470 on the season.

Smith continues to rake at Double-A Binghamton, notching a career-high 14 home runs to go along with 28 doubles and 88 runs batted in. He should open 2017 at Triple-A Las Vegas and potentially land in the majors during the season. Smith is viewed as the first baseman of the future for New York; that future could start as early as next year.

Bell will bat second Friday against the Brewers.

Fresh off a three-walk showing in the opener against Milwaukee, Bell will shoot up the lineup after batting fifth or sixth in his first five major league starts. It seems Bell has taken over the starting job at first base from John Jaso despite his questionable defense at the position. He could stick in this spot in the order if he holds his own, as Starling Marte has fared much better this year when batting in the heart of the order.

Freeman (back) is in the lineup Friday against the Giants.

Fortunately, Freeman's sore back isn't keeping him from playing Friday night against Jeff Samardzija and the Giants. Atlanta's slugger is hitting .364/.525/.818 with five home runs and 14 RBI over the last 14 games.

Rizzo is in the lineup Friday against the Dodgers.

Rizzo had a rare day off Wednesday, so it's no surprise to see him return to the lineup Friday evening. Rizzo has continued his phenomenal performance at the plate recently and is hitting .362/.383/.500 over his last 14 games. He'll hit third against Bud Norris and the Dodgers.

Freeman (back) is sore but hopes to remain in the lineup for Friday's game against the Giants, David O'Brien of the AJC reports.

Freeman had a scary moment in Thursday's game against Arizona when he took a hard fall chasing a foul ball. His lower back landed directly on the back of a chair, but he was able to remain in the game and play all nine innings. While he will attempt to give it a go Friday, there's no telling how his back will respond overnight. If Freeman has to miss Friday's game against the Giants, Gordon Beckham could slide over to get the start at first base.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-6 with his 20th homer, 20th steal, two RBI and three runs in Wednesday's 11-inning victory over the Braves.

Goldy's power production has fallen off a bit this year -- surprising in a season that's seen power hitting explode across the league -- but he's now gone 20-20 in consecutive seasons, and there aren't many players who can do that while also being assets in batting average. Indeed, the star first baseman is on pace to hit over .300 for the fourth straight season. There's nothing not to love about the package he offers for fantasy owners.

Joseph went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and two runs against the White Sox on Wednesday.

He also struck out twice, giving him six in 14 at-bats over the last four games, but Phillies fans and fantasy owners aren't going to complain, considering Joseph's socked 17 homers in 75 games -- that's a full-season pace for 36 long balls. It'd be nice to see him take a few more walks, but Joseph's .260 BABIP offers the promise of a better batting average when his fortune's more favorable in the future. He may never be elite in that category, but the power should carry him a long way anyhow. That said, in the longer term, he'll have to fight off up-and-coming first-base prospect Rhys Hoskins, who has hit 35 homers in Double-A this year.

Flores is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Cardinals.

James Loney will start at first base as Flores heads to the bench Wednesday evening. Flores had a great game Tuesday, going 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI, but still owns a less than stellar batting average (.259) and on-base percentage (.315) for the season.

Howard is in the lineup for Wednesday's matchup against the White Sox.

The Phillies are playing in Chicago's American League ballpark, so Howard will be Philadelphia's DH and hit cleanup Wednesday evening. Howard has continued to perform well during his resurgent second half to the season and is hitting .300/.364/.633 with three home runs and 11 RBI over the last 14 days.