MLB Player News

Cooper will start at first base and bat third in Sunday's game against the Phillies.

Cooper had already been benefiting from more playing time with the recent trade of Corey Dickerson to the Blue Jays, but Jesus Sanchez's move to the COVID-19-related injured list Friday has opened up a full-time role for the 30-year-old. Though he'll be filling in for a resting Jesus Aguilar at first base in the series finale, Cooper should see most of his starts in the corner outfield until Sanchez returns. Cooper has arguably been Miami's top hitter in July with a .394/.545/.697 slash line, three home runs and a stolen base in 12 games.

Wade is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

The lefty-hitting Wade will head to the bench with a southpaw (Wade LeBlanc) on the hill for St. Louis. Platoon mate Darin Ruf replaces Wade at first base.

Mountcastle is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

After heading into the All-Star break nursing a forearm injury, Mountcastle was cleared to start the Orioles' first two games of the second half. He went 1-for-8 with two RBI and a run scored between those contests, and more importantly, Mountcastle doesn't seem to have experienced a setback. His absence from the lineup Sunday is likely just a pre-planned maintenance day.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Giants.

Goldschmidt cranked a two-run homer off Anthony DeSclafani to open up the lead to 3-0. His long ball ended up being the difference to win the game. He has homered in his last three games and is riding a 12-game hitting streak. During that stretch, he is batting .417 with an OPS of 1.220. The 33-year-old is slashing .270/.340/.451 with 15 homers, 52 RBI and 50 runs in 382 plate appearances.

Tellez will start at first base and bat fifth Sunday against the Reds.

Tellez sat out against a pair of right-handed starting pitchers (Tyler Mahle and Luis Castillo) to begin the series, but he'll be back in the lineup Sunday with another righty (Sonny Gray) on the mound for Cincinnati. Since coming over in a trade from Toronto earlier this month, Tellez has gotten off to a 1-for-9 start to his tenure with the Brewers. Rather than Keston Hiura, Jace Peterson -- who started at first base in the past two games -- looks like Tellez's primary competition for a spot in the everyday lineup.

Freeman went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and an additional run Saturday in Atlanta's 9-0 win over Tampa Bay.

Freeman's fifth-inning solo shot -- his 21st of the season -- put the finishing touches on Atlanta's resounding win. With the newly acquired Joc Pederson making his Atlanta debut Saturday as the team's leadoff hitter, Freeman moved down a spot to third in the lineup, which will likely be his home for the foreseeable future. The minor change shouldn't have too much of an effect on Freeman, who has posted a monstrous 1.207 OPS over his last 20 games.

Abreu went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 10-1 win over the Astros.

Abreu's three-run blast in the sixth inning was the third of five on the day for the White Sox. It was his 214th home run as a member of the franchise, tying him for fourth on the organization's all-time list with Carlton Fisk. The first baseman has driven in 15 RBI over the last 12 games.

Bell will not start Saturday against San Diego, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Bell has hit much better over his last 24 games, posting a .309/.385/.506 slash line over that stretch while striking out just 12.1 percent of the time, a big improvement on his .215/.273/.413 line and 26.7 percent strikeout rate over his first 50 contests. He'll sit in favor of Ryan Zimmerman on Saturday, but his recent work in the outfield indicates that the Nationals could be looking for a way to get both in the lineup at the same time at some point in the second half.

Calhoun will hit the bench Saturday against the Cubs.

Calhoun has now started just two of four games after returning from a hamstring strain shortly before the break. The veteran outfielder has often found himself in a platoon setup, but both of his recent days off have come against right-handers like Saturday's starter Adbert Alzolay. Josh Rojas will start in right field in his absence.

France went 2-for-3 with an RBI single in a win over the Angels on Friday.

France's timely third-inning single plated Mitch Haniger, snapping a 1-1 tie in the process. France has been trending upward for some time, as he now sports a .313/.352/.417 slash line and nine RBI over the 54 plate appearances covering his last 13 games.