MLB Player News

Alonso went 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in Sunday's 9-4 win over Washington.

Washington pitchers found a way to stymie the first baseman for two games, ending his 11-game hitting streak. Alonso bounced back with a vengeance in a productive Sunday afternoon contest. The 26-year-old bumped his slash line back up to .262/.343/.503 with 29 home runs, 76 RBI, 64 runs scored and three stolen bases through 498 plate appearances.

Voit will start at first base and bat fifth Sunday against the Athletics.

Voit's rest-of-season outlook appeared to take a significant hit when the Yankees acquired another established everyday first baseman in Anthony Rizzo on July 29, but the former will close out the weekend with three consecutive starts. Though he'll displace the slumping Rizzo at first base Sunday, the designated hitter spot looks like it'll be Voit's ticket to holding down a semi-regular role in the lineup. Though Giancarlo Stanton has occupied the DH spot for the majority of the season, manager Aaron Boone has increased Stanton's exposure to the outfield of late in an effort for the Yankees to trot out all of their top hitters. Stanton started in right field both of the past two games, allowing Voit to get a pair of turns at DH.

Rizzo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

After posting a .963 OPS in his first nine games with the Yankees before landing on the COVID-19 injured list earlier this month, Rizzo has struggled to recapture his prior form upon returning to the active roster. In his eight games since being activated, Rizzo is slashing .161/.229/.194 with one extra-base hit (a double). The Yankees aren't yet ready to pull the plug on him as their everyday first baseman, but with a quality backup option on hand in Luke Voit, Rizzo could begin to see more than one day off per week if his bat doesn't start heating up soon.

Santana (hip) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.

After missing three straight games with a Grade 1 right hip flexor, Santana returned to the lineup for Friday's 8-7 win in 12 innings, but he aggravated the injury in that contest and will now be on the bench for the second day in a row. Hunter Dozier will fill in at first base for Santana, who should be viewed as day-to-day heading into the Royals' upcoming six-game week.

Goldschmidt, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI single, a run-scoring double and a bases-loaded walk in a win over the Pirates on Saturday, went into Sunday's series finale with 22 RBI in 24 August games and a .333 average with runners in scoring position on the season.

The slugger has been raking throughout the second half of the season and has served as one of the best clutch hitters in all of baseball of late. Goldschmidt's RBI career high is a lofty and likely unreachable 125 (2013); however, at 77 RBI with 34 games remaining, he would appear to have a fighting chance of eclipsing the 97 runs he knocked in back in 2019, which currently serves as his best tally over the last four campaigns.

Smith is not in the lineup Sunday against Washington, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Smith is 2-for-27 in his past eight appearances and will take a seat for the second consecutive game. Kevin Pillar, who homered twice in Saturday's victory, will receive the start in left field for the Mets.

Rivas will start at first base and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the White Sox.

The 24-year-old Rivas was recalled from Triple-A Iowa before Saturday's game but did not appear in the contest. He'll now make his MLB debut Sunday after slashing .284/.405/.411 with four home runs, 32 RBI and 35 walks in 237 plate appearances for Iowa. Rivas will give the Cubs some depth at first base, though Frank Schwindel has emerged as the starter there in the wake of the Anthony Rizzo trade.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Tampa Bay will roll with Jordan Luplow and Joey Wendle at the corner-infield spots while Diaz retreats to the bench. Diaz had started each of the past four games at either first or third base, going 6-for-16 with a double, three runs and two RBI.

Wade went 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's 5-0 win over Atlanta.

The third-inning theft was Wade's first steal since July 22. Despite hitting leadoff against right-handed pitching, Wade hasn't provided much of a speed threat this year with four stolen bases and two triples through 269 plate appearances. He's added a solid .245/.315/.510 slash line with 17 home runs, 43 RBI and 38 runs scored.

Smith isn't starting Saturday's game against the Nationals, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News

Smith went 0-for-6 with a walk and two strikeouts across the last two games and will get a breather with left-hander Sean Nolin starting for the Nationals. Jeff McNeil will shift to left field while Jonathan Villar enters the lineup at third base.