MLB Player News

Smith is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Twins.

He is just 3-for-28 in eight games this month, and will take a seat despite the fact that the Mets have the designated hitter spot at their disposal while playing in Minnesota. Adeiny Hechavarria starts at second base, allowing Robinson Cano to start at designated hitter.

Bell isn't in Wednesday's starting lineup against the Cardinals.

He's played in all but one of Pittsburgh's first 94 games and is slashing .220/.313/.504 since the end of May. Bell has still produced power during his slump, however, hitting nine homers and 32 RBI over the stretch. Jose Osuna will replace him for the afternoon at first base.

Hiura went 3-for-3 with two walks, a home run, three runs scored and two RBI in Tuesday's 13-1 rout of Atlanta.

The rookie's solo shot in the second inning got the Brewers rolling, and he remains a key part of the offense after that. Hiura is making sure he's in no danger of a return trip to Triple-A, slashing .357/.438/.661 with four homers, four steals, nine runs and nine RBI in 15 games since his return to Milwaukee in late June.

Flores (foot) will be reassessed Wednesday after playing two rehab games at Triple-A Reno, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Flores recently moved his rehab from the rookie-level Arizona League to Reno and went 4-for-9 with four RBI. If all checks out, he could be activated for Thursday's game against Milwaukee.

Gurriel went 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's loss to the Angels.

Gurriel accounted for the first Astros run of the game when he doubled and scored in the fourth inning. The three-hit game was his third in a torrid July in which he has batted .426 (20-for-47) with eight homers and 18 runs batted in.

Olson went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a victory over Seattle on Tuesday.

Olson went back-to-back with teammate Matt Chapman in the fifth inning, blasting a 387-foot homer to right field. The long ball extended his hitting streak to 11 games, during which he has gone 13-for-46 with four homers and eight runs batted in.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBI in Tuesday's loss to the Yankees.

Diaz's solo home run during the fourth inning gave the Rays a 2-1 lead and he brought home another run with his double in the sixth, but the bullpen was unable to hold the lead. The 27-year-old is 9-for-26 (.346 average) with three doubles and two home runs in his last six games.

Cooper went 2-for-5 with two walks, a home run, three RBI and three runs scored Tuesday against the Padres.

Cooper reached base four times, including on a timely hit in the bottom of the second that drove in a pair of runs. In the eighth inning he took Robbie Erlin deep to record his 11th home run of the season. Cooper has quietly swung the bat well this season, hitting .315/.389/.520 across 226 plate appearances. He's shown no signs of slowing recently, posting three multi-hit games -- with three home runs -- in four contests since the All-Star break.

Cron was activated from the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. He'll start at first base and bat fifth against the Mets.

Cron was sent to the shelf July 6 due to right thumb inflammation, but he was able to return following the 10-day minimum. He's slashing .266/.326/.495 with 17 home runs and 54 RBI over 78 games this season for Minnesota.

Walker will not start Tuesday against Texas.

Walker gets the day off even with the DH spot available in the American League park. Kevin Cron will fill that position, with Jake Lamb starting at first base.