MLB Player News

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo will miss at least the first half of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals, as he is not in the lineup for the first game.

Rizzo has not played since Tuesday due to a back injury, which has now cost him four games. Whether he will be active for the second half of the doubleheader is not yet clear. 

Reds first baseman Joey Votto will have his rehab slowed, the team announced Friday, as his injured quad did not respond as well as hoped to an increase in activity Wednesday.

Votto, who has been out since July 8, took groundballs Wednesday, but appears to have suffered some sort of setback. He was able to take dry swings Thursday, but is not scheduled to travel with the team moving forward.

"There was still some fairly significant discomfort when he got lateral side-to-side so we had back off with that and stay with some strengthening and whatever the physical therapy protocols are," manager Bryan Price told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "We hope when we get back there are some marked improvement."

At this point, Votto is still expected to return by season's end, but there is no specific timetable for his expected return. 

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is out of the starting lineup yet again Friday against the Cardinals, as he continues to deal with a back injury.

Rizzo was hoping to return Friday, but the injury instead cost him his third game in a row. He has not played since suffering the injury during a rain delay Tuesday.  

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo missed his second game in a row Thursday against the Reds, as he continues to deal with a back injury.

Rizzo told MLB.com Thursday the injury first began bothering him during Tuesday's rain delay, but it shouldn't be an issue much longer. He hopes to return in time for Friday's series opener against the Cardinals. 

Mets infielder Wilmer Flores went 1 for 2 with a walk and a solo home run in his team's 3-2 loss to the Braves Wednesday.

Flores was just 1 for 10 over his last four games before going yard Wednesday. He has hit .224/.258/.301 with two home runs and 15 RBI in 156 at-bats.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto added fielding ground balls to his baseball activities Wednesday, MLB.com reports. He's eligible to come off the disabled list Sept. 4 but may have trouble being ready to go on a rehab assignment before the end of the minor-league season.

"I'd hate to say there's no chance, but I think because we're initiating baby steps that ... I don't know if he'll be ready by Sept. 4 or not. I have no idea. I really don't," manager Bryan Price said. "It's been a real gradual recovery, and it's an injury that needs -- more than anything, beyond strengthening and therapy -- it needs time to recover. ... We just haven't been able to force the recovery faster. There's just no quick fix to this quad problem to where he can play on it with the stability that's needed."

Votto remains without a timetable to rejoin the Reds.

Cubs slugger Anthony Rizzo has been sidelined for the Wednesday night game against Cincinnati with a back ailment.

His absence is a blow to the team. Rizzo has been on a power surge with five home runs since Aug. 12. He has 10 hits in his last eight games to sweeten his stat line to .278/.375/.514.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo was removed from Tuesday's game due to lower back tightness, the team announced.

The injury is expected to be minor. Rizzo went 1 for 4 and hit a solo home run in the game. He owns a .278/.375/.514 line with 30 home runs and 71 RBI in 486 at-bats.

A CT scan Tuesday confirmed that Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt will not need surgery on his fractured left hand, FOXSportsArizona.com reports.

Goldschmidt is roughly two-to-three weeks away from beginning strengthening work on the hand, and while he's expected to miss the rest of the season, he should be 100 percent by spring training.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto has begun baseball activities in recent days, he told the Cincinnati Enquirer Tuesday.

Votto, who has been sidelined since early July, due to a quad injury, has been taking dry swings and throwing, the first activities he has done since suffering the injury. Prior to this, he has been limited solely to strength exercises in the quad, though at this point it is not clear whether he has a timetable to return.