MLB Player News

Votto (illness) was activated from the COVID-19 injured list Friday.

The veteran first baseman has been sidelined nearly three weeks after testing positive for the virus, but he's now back with the Reds after going 2-for-11 with four walks over a four-game rehab assignment in the minors. Votto was off to a slow start this season prior to the absence, hitting just .122/.278/.135 with a 32.2 percent strikeout rate.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-4 with an RBI double, a solo home run and two additional RBI during Thursday's 7-6 loss to the Mets.

Goldschmidt tied the game 2-2 in the third with a solo blast and gave the Cardinals a 3-2 lead in the fifth with an RBI double. The slugger added a sacrifice fly in the seventh and a game-tying RBI single in the ninth. Goldschmidt finished the four-game series against New York going 8-for-18 with two home runs, three doubles, seven RBI and three runs.

Alonso went 3-for-4 with a walk, a two-run homer, and an additional RBI during Thursday's 7-6 win over the Cardinals.

Alonso gave the Mets a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the first and won the game with a two-run blast in the bottom of the 10th. The slugger has five hits, two home runs and seven RBI over his last two games, which boosts he season slash line to .276/.353/.513.

Rivas isn't starting Thursday against Arizona.

Right-hander Zac Gallen is starting for the Diamondbacks on Thursday, but Rivas will get a day off after going 0-for-6 with a run, two walks and three strikeouts over the last two games. Frank Schwindel will start at first base while Yan Gomes enters the lineup behind the dish.

Olson went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Wednesday's extra-innings loss to the Brewers.

The first baseman has stumbled to a .203 batting average through 16 games in May (12-for-59), but Olson is still reaching base at a .338 clip thanks to a strong 16.9 percent walk rate, and eight of his 12 hits have gone for extra bases (six doubles and two homers). Expect more hits to start falling in for the 28-year-old as the weather continues to warm up.

Smith isn't starting Thursday against the Cardinals.

Although right-hander Dakota Hudson is starting for the Cardinals on Thursday, Smith will retreat to the bench for Thursday's series finale. J.D. Davis will serve as the designated hitter and bat seventh.

Bohm went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Padres.

Though the Phillies were able to get within one game of .500 with the victory, Bohm saw his six-game hitting streak come to an end. The 25-year-old third baseman isn't providing much power this season (.112 ISO), but thanks to a major reduction in his strikeout rate (from 26.6 percent in 2021 to 16.9 percent in 2022), he's been able to deliver a .302 average, which is backed by a .340 BABIP that while likely unsustainable, isn't absurdly high. He settled in as the Phillies' No. 2 hitter earlier this month and will bat out of that spot in the lineup in Thursday's series finale with the Padres.

Cronenworth is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Phillies.

Robinson Cano will draw the start at second base while Cronenworth heads to the bench for the first time after he had been included in the lineup in each of the Padres' first 37 games of the season. The day off comes while Cronenworth has endured a rough patch at the plate over the past six contests; during that stretch, he's gone 4-for-28 while striking out in 39.3 percent of his plate appearances.

Hoskins went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Padres.

After coming home on a J.T. Realmuto single in the first inning, Hoskins took Blake Snell deep in the third, giving Zack Wheeler and the Phillies' bullpen all the support they would need. The first baseman has hit safely in nine of the last 10 games, slashing .326/.356/.698 over that stretch with five of his seven homers on the year and 11 of his 20 RBI.

Alonso went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, an additional run and an additional RBI in Wednesday's 11-4 victory versus the Cardinals.

Alonso gave the Mets a 3-2 lead with a run-scoring single in the fifth inning, and he homered with two runners aboard to break the game open in the eighth. The first baseman had knocked in only one run across his previous six games, but the big performance Wednesday moved him back into a tie for first in the league with 33 RBI on the campaign. Alonso also has nine homers and a .264/.339/.486 slash line over 168 plate appearances.