MLB Player News

Lowe entered Thursday's loss to the Yankees as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the sixth inning and went 0-for-1 with two walks and two runs.

Lowe struck out swinging in his initial at-bat, but he then reached safely in his subsequent pair of plate appearances. The rookie slashed .333/.500/.333 over his first 10-game big-league stint earlier in the campaign and figures to see semi-regular playing time with both Brandon Lowe (lower leg) and Ji-Man Choi (ankle) on the injured list.

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a walk, a triple, an RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's 11-3 win over the Pirates.

Rizzo filled up the box score, and he's now up to a balanced 57 runs and 57 RBI this season to go with an .895 OPS. This game was also noteworthy because it was Rizzo's first time batting cleanup all year, as he's primarily batted third. With the Cubs erupting for 11 runs, the slugging first baseman could very easily stick in the No. 4 spot for the time being.

Freeman went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a double in a victory versus Philadelphia on Thursday.

Freeman slugged a 401-foot homer in the fourth inning, the first of back-to-back blasts with Josh Donaldson. In 346 at-bats this season, Freeman has now hit 23 homers -- the same amount he hit in 618 at-bats last season. Fortunately, the first-half power surge has not come at the expense of his other numbers; on the season, he is slashing an impressive .309/.393/.590.

Guerrero is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox.

Brandon Drury is being rewarded for his three-hit effort Wednesday with a start at the hot corner. Manager Charlie Montoyo has been getting Guerrero occasional days off as the 20-year-old gets acclimated at the big-league level, and that will likely continue into the second half.

Solano started at short and batted eighth Wednesday, going 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in a 7-5 win over the Padres.

Solano had started the previous four contests due to a slew of southpaws taking the bump against the Giants, but Wednesday's start was a bit surprising considering it came against a righty. The veteran utility infielder has performed adequately when called upon (.308/.337/.397 over 83 plate appearances) and starting shortstop Brandon Crawford has been disappointing at best, but a complete changing of the guard seems unlikely. Manager Bruce Bochy has proven in the past that he rewards players who homer with a start the following day -- Solano homered on Tuesday -- so this may simply be a result of his unorthodox system. The Giants are facing three righties in their upcoming series against the Cardinals, so it will be telling whether this is a depth chart shift or just a blip on the radar.

Cron is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the A's.

Since his last game with a homer June 22, Cron has gone 5-for-40 (.125 average) with nine strikeouts and zero extra-base hits. This seems like a day to clear his head. Ehire Adrianza will get the start at first base and bat sixth against right-hander Tanner Anderson.

Lowe is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees.

Called up from Triple-A Durham earlier in the day to replace the injured Brandon Lowe (lower leg), the rookie Lowe will be a spectator in his first game back with the Rays with lefty J.A. Happ on the mound. Manager Kevin Cash will likely limit Lowe's exposure to lefties during his latest stint in the big leagues, but the 23-year-old slugger should receive the bulk of the action at first base until one of Lowe or Ji-Man Choi (ankle) makes it back from the 10-day injured list.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a double and a run in a win over the Mariners on Wednesday.

Goldschmidt managed what has surprisingly become a relatively rare feat for him, an extra-base hit, during the victory, marking the first time he'd laced anything more than a single since June 20. With just 22 extra-base knocks over 359 plate appearances, the valued offseason acquisition continues on pace for his poorest showing in that category since his 48-game cup of coffee with the Diamondbacks back in 2011. The lack of impactful hits is partly responsible for Goldschmidt's career-low .323 wOBA, with the scenario made even more confounding by the fact he also sports a career-high 49.3 percent hard-contact rate.

Rizzo will start at first base and bat cleanup Thursday against the Pirates.

Rizzo has drawn all but one of his prior 82 starts this season as the Cubs' No. 3 hitter, with the lone other appearance coming out of the leadoff spot. After Javier Baez thrived out of the two hole Wednesday while Kris Bryant (knee) received a maintenance day, however, manager Joe Maddon will deploy Rizzo behind both players as Bryant returns to the lineup in the series finale. The move down one spot in the batting order shouldn't have much of an impact on Rizzo, whose lackluster production lately has been self-inflicted more than a result of being surrounded by underwhelming hitters. Rizzo hasn't produced a home run since June 15 and is batting .207/.324/.276 over the last 17 contests.

Dixon is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Manager Ron Gardenhire will give Dixon a day to clear his head after the 27-year-old started both ends of Wednesday's doubleheader, going 0-for-9 with three strikeouts. Dixon still remains locked in as the Tigers' everyday first baseman, but he'll cede those duties to Niko Goodrum in the series finale.