MLB Player News

Reds manager David Bell said Thursday that Votto (shoulder) will begin taking live batting practice this weekend at Triple-A Louisville, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

It's not an actual minor-league rehab assignment just yet, but that could happen sometime next week if Votto looks good in during the weekend workouts against live pitching. He tried a rehab stint with Louisville in April but went 7-for-38 (.184) with 21 strikeouts in 10 games while also struggling defensively. The veteran first baseman is on the road back from surgery last August to repair tears in his left rotator cuff and biceps muscle.

Wade went 1-for-4 with a walk, two-run home run and an additional RBI during Wednesday's 11-6 loss to the Nationals.

Wade got the Giants on the board with an RBI groundout in the third and cut Washington's lead to 11-6 in the ninth with a two-run home run. Wade is now slashing .260/.437/.531 with seven homers and 13 RBI over 34 games (128 plate appearances) and is locked into an everyday role at first base. The three RBI was a season high.

Alonso went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and two walks in Wednesday's 2-1 victory over the Reds.

Alonso took Hunter Greene deep to left to kick things off in the second inning for his league-leading 13th home run of the year. He is still struggling to hit for average but is making up for it in the power department and sits at fifth in baseball with 31 RBI. The 28-year-old is now slashing .239/.331/.543 and has shown more patience at the plate lately with a 6:2 BB:K over his last four games.

Freeman went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Brewers.

The first baseman opened the scoring in the fourth inning with a solo shot off Wade Miley before bringing home two more an inning later with a single. Freeman has had a productive start to May, batting .289 (11-for-39) through nine games with two of his six homers on the season, eight RBI and nine runs.

Cronenworth went 0-for-1 with three walks and a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-3 extra-innings loss to the Twins.

Cronenworth hasn't hit much lately, but he's drawn 10 walks over his last five games. While he's batting .236 on the season and has gone just 2-for-11 in that five-game sample, his .356 on-base percentage and career-best 14.2 percent walk rate for the year show why the Padres have opted to move him to second in the order for the last two games. The 29-year-old has three home runs, 14 RBI, 17 runs scored, two steals, eight doubles and two triples through 36 contests overall.

Mervis is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Cardinals.

The left-handed-hitting Mervis has gone 4-for-21 (.190) with zero extra-base hits and eight strikeouts through his first five major-league games and will take a seat Wednesday with southpaw Jordan Montgomery on the mound for St. Louis. Trey Mancini is playing first base while Christopher Morel gets a turn at designated hitter.

Votto (shoulder) said Wednesday that there is still no timetable for when he might begin another minor-league rehab assignment, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Votto called it a day-to-day situation as he continues to work on his offense and defense in the Cincinnati area. The 39-year-old batted just .184/.289/.316 with 21 strikeouts over 45 plate appearances during a 10-game rehab assignment last month at Triple-A Louisville. He also had trouble picking balls at first base due to a lack of extension in his surgically-repaired left biceps and shoulder. "I'll make the decision the day before and just head down there," Votto said of the timing for a second rehab stint. "I don't really want to say anything. I want to come back and bring joy and optimism and be a part of it."

Gurriel is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Gurriel has been filling in as the primary first baseman while Garrett Cooper (ear) has been on the shelf, but the 38-year-old will get a breather for the series finale in Arizona while Luis Arraez spells him. While starting each of the Marlins' past eight games, Gurriel went 6-for-33 (.182 average) with a home run, two doubles, two runs and two RBI.

Tellez is not in the starting lineup versus the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Tellez will get a breather as the Brewers face off with left-hander Clayton Kershaw in the series finale Wednesday. The first baseman has gone 5-for-21 with a solo homer and two RBI while striking out eight times versus southpaws this season. In his place, righty bat Luke Voit will draw the start at first base and bat seventh against Los Angeles.

Olson went 1-for-2 with three walks, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Red Sox.

The first baseman hammered a hanging curveball from Nick Pivetta on the first pitch he saw in the first inning, and Boston pitchers wanted no part of him the rest of the night. Olson extended his hitting streak to seven games with the blast, his third in the last five contests and his 11th of the year. Despite a career-worst 33.3 percent strikeout rate so far in 2023, he's recorded an impressive .250/.382/.551 slash line with 29 RBI in 36 games.