MLB Player News

Naylor (back) was scratched from the lineup Sunday against the Royals.

Naylor was held out of the lineup for four straight games with back spasms before rejoining the lineup Saturday, and he'll be absent again Sunday after initially being penciled in at first base. It's unclear how the injury will affect his availability for the upcoming four-game series against the White Sox, which begins Monday.

Hiura will start in left field and bat fifth in Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Hiura's playing time is on the upswing; he'll make his fourth consecutive start after going 5-for-11 with a home run and a walk in the past three contests. Though he should be a fixture in the lineup against left-handed pitching for the foreseeable future, Hiura looks like he could see an uptick in opportunities against right-handed pitching in the short term with Andrew McCutchen picking up more time in the outfield of late with Tyrone Taylor (concussion) and Hunter Renfroe (calf) on the injured list.

Abreu went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Saturday's 8-0 win over the Tigers.

Abreu has turned in back-to-back two-hit games and has now built a 14-game hitting streak, with the veteran first baseman slashing .439/.467/.632 with a home run, eight doubles, 10 runs and eight RBI over that stretch. He'll get a day out of the field in Sunday's series finale and serve as the White Sox's designated hitter and cleanup batter.

The Rays recalled Raley from Triple-A Durham on Sunday.

Raley was summoned from Triple-A after fellow outfielder Kevin Kiermaier (hip) landed on the 10-day injured list Sunday. Josh Lowe and Brett Phillips are likely to serve as the primary replacements in center field for Kiermaier, so Raley will presumably be limited to a depth role while he's up with the big club for the second time this season.

Aranda was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

The 24-year-old was added to the major-league roster Sunday with Wander Franco (wrist) heading to the 10-day injured list. Aranda will provide infield depth for Tampa Bay and could split playing time at second base with Yu Chang while Taylor Walls fills in at shortstop for Franco.

Goldschmidt is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The National League MVP candidate looks to be getting some routine maintenance after he started in each of the Cardinals' last 17 games while contributing a 1.035 OPS, two stolen bases, 13 runs and seven RBI over that stretch. Albert Pujols will draw a rare start at first base in place of Goldschmidt.

Rizzo went 2-for-5 with two doubles, a run, two RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Red Sox.

Rizzo missed four games due to lower-back stiffness, but he was productive in his return to action Saturday. The veteran knocked in a run with a double in each of the sixth and 10th innings, and he felt spry enough to try to steal third after the latter two-bagger (though he was thrown out). Rizzo had gone just 4-for-34 at the plate over his previous 11 games prior to the injury absence, but he had homered three times in his past four contests.

Votto (back) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

Mike Moustakas will once again fill in at first base for Votto, who is on the bench for the seventh consecutive game on account of back tightness. Votto hasn't made any pinch-hitting appearances over the past five contests, suggesting a stint on the 10-day injured list could still be on the table for the 38-year-old. For now, he can be viewed as day-to-day in advance of the Reds' three-game series with the Yankees, which begins Tuesday.

Calhoun went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Saturday's victory over the Twins.

Calhoun led off the scoring with a three-run shot in the second inning that scored Nathaniel Lowe and Jonah Heim. It was his first home run since he hit two July 2. Since then, the outfielder has just two hits in 19 at-bats, while striking out nine times during that span. Calhoun's batting average now sits at .231.

Goldschmidt went 0-for-4 with a stolen base in Saturday's 1-0 loss to the Phillies.

Baserunners came at a premium Saturday, with Goldschmidt representing the Cardinals' last player to get aboard. He reached on an error and stole second in the ninth inning, but he was left stranded in the narrow defeat. The first baseman has hit safely in 27 of the last 36 games since the start of June, batting .323 in that stretch. Shockingly, that's actually worse than his season mark of .340, and he's added a 1.032 OPS with 19 home runs, 65 RBI, 61 runs scored, five steals and 28 doubles through 83 contests overall. The 34-year-old will likely continue to be one of baseball's most consistent hitters, and he'll be recognized for his efforts in just over a week at the All-Star Game as the National League's starting first baseman.