MLB Player News

Votto went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Cubs.

There's hot, and then there's what Votto is right now. Over his last four games, the first baseman has racked up five home runs and nine RBI. The 37-year-old is hitting .350 since the All-Star break and has lifted his slugging percentage to .523 -- the highest it's been since 2017, when he finished second in the NL MVP voting.

Rizzo went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's loss to the Reds.

Rizzo went deep against Cincinnati starter Vladimir Gutierrez in the first inning, giving the veteran first baseman 15 home runs and 40 RBI this season. Those figures are a bit behind his usual expectations, as is his .795 OPS, but Rizzo is showing signs of life lately, having hit home runs in three straight games. If the Cubs do decide to move the 31-year-old before Friday's trade deadline, he's at least giving his value a late boost.

Tellez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, three RBI and a walk during Tuesday's win over the Pirates.

Tellez took a breaking pitch down and in against Kyle Keller in the ninth inning to tack on an insurance run for the Brewers. It was the seventh homer of the year for Tellez and his third with Milwaukee since his trade from Toronto. Since joining his new club, the 26-year-old is slashing .357/.457/.714 across 13 games.

Bohm is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Nationals.

The Phillies will withhold Bohm from the lineup for the second day in a row, perhaps as a means of granting him some extra rest following his recent return from the COVID-19-related injured list. Unless the Phillies indicate that Bohm is dealing with an injury, he should be expected to take back the everyday role at third base from Ronald Torreyes in short order. The 24-year-old has posted an .853 OPS thus far in July, so the back-to-back benchings don't appear to be performance-related.

Votto went 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk and three RBI in Monday's loss to the Cubs.

Votto blasted his 15th homer of the season off Kyle Hendricks in the second inning, but he didn't stop contributing there. He also drove Wade Miley home with a sac fly in the third and added an RBI walk in the fifth. The veteran first baseman might not be the player he once was, but he has been seeing the ball well of late, collecting hits in seven of his last eight contests -- a span in which he's batted .414 with a 1.397 OPS.

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Monday's win over the Reds.

Rizzo opened the scoring with a two-run blast in the first inning. The veteran first baseman has now homered in back-to-back games for the first time in 2021, and he's hit safely in four straight. Rizzo's numbers certainly aren't up to the standard he established in his heyday, but he's still a useful fantasy asset in most formats.

Blandino (hand) is scheduled to begin his minor-league rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Blandino will likely spend at least a week on the farm to get his timing back at the plate as he returns from a fractured right hand he suffered in early July. Once activated from the 60-day injured list, Blandino will fill a utility role for the Reds, though he could also be optioned to Louisville.

Hoskins went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Monday's 6-5 win over Washington.

The first baseman got Philadelphia on the board with his sixth-inning blast. It was Hoskins' second homer in 11 games since the All-Star break and his 22nd of the year. The 28-year-old remains a slight drag on batting average (.232), but he's provided 62 RBI, 56 runs scored and three stolen bases through 412 plate appearances despite a career-low .807 OPS.

Bohm isn't starting Monday's game against the Nationals.

Bohm returned from the 10-day injured list Friday and went 3-for-9 with two walks and two strikeouts across the last three games. Ronald Torreyes will take his place at the hot corner and bat seventh.

Flores went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Pirates.

Flores took Duane Underwood deep to left in the sixth to extend the Giants' lead to 3-1. He's now recorded a hit in seven of his last nine games and has five homers in July. The 29-year-old has been pretty dependent on the long ball for run production recently, as seven of his nine RBI this month have come from home runs. Flores has shown significant improvement with his patience at the plate. His 29 walks already tie his career-best mark for a season. He's slashing .252/.333/.441 with 12 homers, 34 RBI, 41 runs scored, a steal and 29:37 BB:K over 288 plate appearances.