MLB Player News

Bell continued his hot hitting with a solo home run in Friday's loss to the Yankees.

Bell's latest home run came from the left side of the plate as he pulverized a Randy Vasquez offering 407 feet to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning. It was measured at 107.9 mph off the bat. Bell has now homered four times in nine games with the Marlins since coming over at the trade deadline, and three of those dingers have come in his last two contests.

Rizzo (head) said Friday that he is aiming to ramp up his baseball activities within the next week, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Rizzo was placed on the injured list Aug. 3 due to post-concussion syndrome, stemming from a collision with Fernando Tatis back in late May. He has already played some catch and said he's been performing better in his concussion protocol tests. There's no exact timetable for Rizzo's return to the Yankees' active roster, but the veteran first baseman seems to be moving in an encouraging direction.

Santana (illness) is starting at first base and batting third Friday against the White Sox.

Santana missed two starts due to illness, but he was able to serve as a pinch hitter during Wednesday's win over Colorado and will resume his duties as Milwaukee's first baseman to begin the series with the White Sox. Santana is slashing .163/.200/.302 across 45 plate appearances since joining the Brewers.

Abreu (back) remains out of the lineup Friday versus the Angels.

Abreu was held out of Thursday's series finale in Baltimore due to lower-back discomfort and needs at least one more day of rest and treatment. Astros manager Dusty Baker said an MRI showed nothing "too serious," per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. Jon Singleton will start at first base Friday and Yainer Diaz will serve as the Astros' designated hitter.

Mountcastle went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Astros.

It was his second homer of the series against Houston, and Mountcastle is batting .463 (19-for-41) during his active 12-game hitting streak. That surge has lifted his slash line to .268/.312/.479 with 15 homers, 53 RBI, 49 runs scored and three stolen bases over 84 games this season. As long as he keeps raking, manager Brandon Hyde will continue to keep Mountcastle in a prominent place in the Orioles' order -- he's been hitting second versus southpaws and fifth against righties in August.

Montero went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Dodgers.

Montero produced the only run for the Rockies in the contest with a fifth-inning solo shot off future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. The long ball was a much-needed lift in a rough August so far for the infielder, as he came into Thursday batting just 3-for-29 with 15 strikeouts through seven games. Montero's woes weren't entirely solved despite the homer -- he struck out in each of his other two at-bats.

Raley is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

Harold Ramirez will take a turn in the DH role as Tampa Bay goes righty-heavy versus the Cardinals and left-hander Matthew Liberatore. Raley has been excellent overall this year, but he continues to sit against most southpaws.

Abreu is absent from the Astros' lineup Thursday in Baltimore because of lower-back discomfort, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

It's Abreu's second absence in the past five games due to the injury. He will be re-evaluated when the team returns home this weekend for a three-game series versus the Angels. Jon Singleton is handling first base for Houston on Thursday.

Abreu is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Baltimore, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Abreu just had an off day Saturday after not previously having one since June 23. The Astros will roll with Jon Singleton at first base Thursday versus the Orioles.

Casas went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Royals.

Casas was scorching hot coming out of the All-Star break but has cooled off with just four hits over the last 22 at-bats. Two of those four hits were home runs, and he's up to 18 for the season.