MLB Player News

Smith isn't in the Nationals' lineup Saturday against Texas, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

With southpaw Andrew Heaney starting on the mound for Texas, the lefty-hitting Smith will stay put in Washington's dugout to begin the game. Joey Meneses will fill in at first base while Smith sits, moving Jeimer Candelario into the DH spot while Ildemaro Vargas start at third base.

Hall isn't in the Phillies' lineup Saturday against Miami.

Hall is 4-for-19 with a homer and two RBI since returning from Triple-A on July 2. He'll catch a breather Saturday against lefty Braxton Garrett, moving Alec Bohm to first base and allowing Edmundo Sosa to start at third and bat eighth.

Kirilloff will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Orioles.

Kirilloff's days off typically come against lefties, but he'll sit here against right-hander Tyler Wells. Donovan Solano will make his second consecutive start at first base.

Young will sit for the second straight game Saturday against the Yankees.

Young immediately stepped into the large side of a platoon with Trey Mancini at first base after getting called up in late June, but his off day here comes against a righty in Gerrit Cole. Young has gone 1-for-17 at the plate in his last six games after going 4-for-9 with three extra-base hits in his first three appearances, so he could continue to cede time to Mancini going forward.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-5 in Friday's 8-7 loss to the White Sox.

Goldschmidt has four multi-hit efforts over his last nine games, going 12-for-36 (.333) with two home runs and six RBI in that span. The first baseman is up to a .288/.373/.483 slash line with 15 homers, eight stolen bases, 46 RBI, 52 runs scored and 20 doubles through 85 games. He continues to routinely bat second with only the occasional drop to third in the order.

Bell went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Friday's 3-0 win over the Royals.

His two-run blast in the fourth inning off Daniel Lynch ended up merely providing insurance runs, as Aaron Civale and two relievers combined for a two-hit shutout. Bell will be happy to put the first half behind him -- over 80 games, the 30-year-old has nine homers and 40 RBI with a shaky .223/.310/.373 slash line.

Diaz went 3-for-4 on Friday against Atlanta.

After an explosion of power early in the season, Diaz has gone without a homer across his last 33 games. He's still found ways to produce, piling up 12 multi-hit efforts in that span to maintain a .295 average while also racking up 19 runs scored. Overall, Diaz has maintained a career-best .904 OPS across 332 plate appearances.

Votto went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Brewers.

Votto, who homered for the sixth time in 15 games, had a two-run homer in fifth inning and a run-producing double in the ninth. After missing 10 months due to a shoulder injury and returning June 19, Votto needed about 40 plate appearances to get his timing down. His batting average sat at .143 (5-for-35, five walks, three HBP) on July 2, but the 39-year-old has hit safely in four straight since, going 7-for-15 with four extra-base hits and seven RBI.

Cronenworth went 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in Friday's 7-5 extra-inning loss to the Mets.

Cronenworth is 1-for-2 on the basepaths in July after just one steal (and attempt) in June. The infielder has hit safely in four of six games this month, going 7-for-19 (.368) with four extra-base hits and seven RBI. He's at a .218/.318/.365 slash line with four steals, eight home runs, 33 RBI and 36 runs scored through 86 contests, but he's showing some life at the plate.

Young is not in the starting lineup Friday versus the Yankees.

Young will take a seat as the Cubs face off with left-hander Carlos Rodon on Friday. Righty bat Trey Mancini will replace him at first base and bat sixth in the series opener with New York.