MLB Player News

Reds first baseman Joey Votto (quad) has taken batting practice for four straight days without any problems, but his return before season's end is considered doubtful, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer. He's been on the disabled list since July 8.

"He's not pain-free," manager Bryan Price said. "He's not 100 percent, and he won't be at any time during the rest of the season. So the question is, Do we want to play him at less than 100 percent? He still hasn't seen any live pitching."

The Reds are out of the race and would like Votto to enter 2015 spring training completely healthy.

Dilson Herrera was out of the Mets' lineup for Sunday's game at the Braves. He exited Saturday's contest with a leg injury. Wilmer Flores got the start at second base in place of Herrera.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman has managed just one home run since Aug. 15.

Freeman maintains great overall numbers while playing virtually every inning of every game for the Braves this season, but only five of his 18 home runs have come in the second half. Despite the relative lack of power, he soared in August, hitting .330/.444/.476 in 103 at-bats. Overall, Freeman has hit .290/.387/.469 with 18 home runs and 73 RBI in 576 at-bats.

A matchup against San Diego left-hander Robbie Erlin has Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard and second baseman Chase Utley out of the lineup Thursday.

The game off could hurt Howard's quest for his first 100-RBI season since 2011. He has 92 with 10 games remaining. Utley is in the mdist of a 2-for-17 slide.

Granted, if the Mets make a play for Starlin Castro or some other high-profile shortstop this offseason, all bets are off, but Wilmer Flores' two-homer performance Tuesday against the Marlins was just the latest indication that the 23-year-old is on the verge of turning the corner.

And that's an exciting prospect for Fantasy owners now that he's proven at least competent at the weakest position in the game.

In his last 18 games, he's batting .303 with five home runs and a .984 OPS. He has struck out just twice in 66 at-bats during that stretch. In 43 games since the All-Star break (or since his return from the minors, more accurately), he has struck out just nine times in 140 at-bats.

That was his calling card in the minors, where he never struck out even 80 times in a season and was typically between 60 and 70. The high contact rate often resulted in a .300 batting average -- particularly in the upper levels, when he began to develop the power to hit 15-plus homers and 30-plus doubles.

It's a skill set similar to the one Edgardo Alfonzo brought with him to the majors in the late 90s. If you were playing Fantasy then, you'll probably remember he had a few years when he was a pretty stellar option even at the height of the steroids era. And he wasn't even a shortstop during that time.

Sleeper alert?

Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores has been tearing it up at the plate recently, but went downright hog-wild Tuesday night.

Flores achieved the first two-homer game of his career in a rout of Miami. He began his big night with an RBI double in the fourth inning, socked a three-run blast in the fifth and added a two-run shot in the seventh for six RBI. He is 8 for 15 with two homers and 10 RBI in the last four games combined.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto will take batting practice Tuesday for the first time since suffering a strained left quad in early July, manager Bryan Price told reporters.

Votto swung at soft toss in the batting cage Monday, and appears to be making steady progress in his recovery. He still hopes to return to action before the end of the season. 

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Reds, but not due to a setback with his back. Rizzo is getting a planned day off after making his return to the lineup following a three-week absence Monday.

He is expected back in the lineup as early as Wednesday's series finale.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who hasn't played since Aug. 26 because of a back strain, was back in the lineup Monday against the Reds.

Rizzo at one point talked like he could miss the rest of the season with the injury but expressed optimism after picking up a bat last week. He was batting .289 (48 for 166) with 12 home runs in his final 42 games before the injury.

According to MLB.com, Reds first baseman Joey Votto was scheduled to swing at underhand flips in a batting cage Sunday, the latest step in his rehabilitation from a strained left quadriceps that has sidelined him since July 8.

"Getting in there, it's the first time I'll get to work in the cage with [hitting coaches] Don Long and Lee Tinsley. That's the final step before taking batting practice on the field," Votto said.

Votto says he's made "tremendous progress" and still hopes to return before the end of the season. Hitting flips is supposed to up the intensity he puts on his leg.

"It's day-to-day, station-to-station," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "Everything he's been doing has been increased effort from when he takes ground balls, moving laterally side-to-side, the running -- it's just a progression."