MLB Player News

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.

The Cubs selected Rivas' contract from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old has enjoyed a strong offensive season in Iowa, hitting .284/.405/.411 with four home runs, 32 RBI and 35 walks in 237 plate appearances. With the Cubs, Rivas will be primed to make his major-league debut. He'll provide depth at first base and in the corner outfield for however long he remains on the major-league roster.

Santana was scratched from Saturday's lineup against Seattle with lingering soreness from his recent hip flexor injury, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Santana exited Monday's game and was out through Thursday with the hip issue, and apparently he isn't totally over it despite starting Friday. It's unclear whether he'll be available off the bench Saturday, and he should be considered day-to-day until further notice. Emmanuel Rivera entered the lineup to play first base.

Lowe will be on the bench Saturday against the Astros.

Even with an impressive five-hit performance Tuesday against Cleveland, Lowe is still hitting a poor .259/.300/.376 for the month of August. Andy Ibanez starts at first base in his absence.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-4 with a double and a triple in a win over the Pirates on Friday.

There seems to be no end in sight to Goldschmidt's second-half surge, much to the delight of fantasy managers. The veteran slugger has been especially lethal during the latter portion of August, as he's compiled a .404 average, 1.227 OPS and 11 extra-base hits (seven doubles, Friday's triple, three home runs) while striking out at a minuscule 6.0 percent clip over 50 plate appearances.

O'Hearn is not starting Saturday's game against the Mariners, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Even after a three-hit night Friday, O'Hearn is still hitting just .207 with a pair of doubles and no RBI in his last 10 games. Salvador Perez is DH'ing and batting third Saturday.

Walker will sit Saturday against the Phillies.

Walker has shown signs of life at the plate recently, hitting .371/.463/.600 over his last 10 games, but that's only been enough to drag his OPS on the season up to .684. Pavin Smith starts at first base in his absence, with Daulton Varsho starting in right field.

Voit went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 8-2 victory over Oakland.

Voit mashed a 437-foot solo shot to center field in the fourth inning off Sean Manaea. Prior to Friday, the slugger hadn't started since Aug. 21 -- largely due to the Yankees playing in an NL park -- though he did appear off the bench three times in that span. Voit has gone deep five times in 55 at-bats since returning from the injured list Aug. 8 and is batting .309 with 18 RBI over that stretch.

O'Hearn went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Friday's 8-7 extra-innings win over Seattle.

While O'Hearn was solid throughout the first seven innings, the newly recalled Edward Olivares replaced him in right field. It was Olivares who delivered a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning and a two-run home run in the 12th that ultimately propelled Kansas City to the win. O'Hearn has posted an unremarkable .235/.268/.405 slash line with nine home runs, 28 RBI and 21 runs scored across 213 plate appearances this year. It appears he will compete with Olivares, Hunter Dozier and Carlos Santana for playing time at first base, right field and designated hitter.

Walker went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer and three strikeouts in Friday's 7-6 loss to the Phillies.

Walker struck out in his first three at-bats Friday, but he sent the game to extra innings with his two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning. The 30-year-old has recorded hits in eight of his last 10 games and has slashed .371/.463/.600 with two homers, two doubles, eight RBI and six runs during that time.