MLB Player News

Votto went 1-for-2 with a two-RBI double and a hit by pitch in Friday's 2-1 win over the Cubs.

The first baseman knocked in Jonathan India and Nick Castellanos in the sixth inning to give Cincinnati all it needed for the win. Votto has gone 13-for-43 (.302) with two home runs, seven RBI and four runs scored across his last 11 games. Despite the recent surge, his slash line is just .250/.329/.457 across 210 plate appearances this year.

Solano isn't starting Friday's game against the Diamondbacks, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Solano had recorded hits in four of his last five appearances and went 5-for-18 with a home run, a double, two runs, an RBI and two walks. He'll get a breather while Thairo Estrada starts at second base and bats eighth.

Bell is out of the lineup Friday against the Dodgers, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Bell will take a seat Friday with southpaw Julio Urias pitching for Los Angeles. Ryan Zimmerman will start at first base and bat cleanup in his place.

Rizzo (back) is back in the starting lineup Friday against the Reds.

Rizzo missed the last three games after he left Sunday's game against the Dodgers with lower back tightness. The first baseman said he was targeting a weekend return and he will indeed rejoin the lineup as the cleanup hitter Friday.

The Diamondbacks pulled Calhoun (hamstring) from his rehab assignment after he felt more discomfort, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Calhoun will be shut down for several days, per manager Torey Lovullo, who said an MRI revealed "inflammation" in the hamstring. It's the same hamstring on which he had surgery in April. During the second game of his rehab assignment, the outfielder aggravated the injury when trying to avoid being hit by a pitch. The news of a delay in Calhoun's rehab means Josh Reddick, Josh Rojas and Pavin Smith will continue to share right field duties for Arizona.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a 5-2 loss to Colorado on Thursday.

Goldschmidt singled in the first inning and blasted a solo shot to left in the third to knot the game at 2-2, a score that would hold until the ninth. The veteran first baseman has heated up following a rough April, as he's now slashing .256/.321/.426 with a team-leading 42 runs and 43 RBI in 80 games.

Flores went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, walk and strikeout as San Francisco fell to Arizona, 5-3 on Thursday.

Flores gave San Francisco a 3-2 lead with his fourth-inning shot off opposing starter Merrill Kelly, but the offense was unable to add any more runs. In the first contest of July, Flores continued off a scorching June that saw him slash .301/.342/.534 with 12 runs and nine RBI as he remains a prominent cog for the Giants.

Smith went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Thursday's 4-3 loss against Atlanta.

Despite losing, Smith slammed a solo homer in the seventh inning off Ian Anderson and in the ninth inning off Will Smith. It was Smith's first multi-homer game this season. The 26-year-old is slashing .249/.319/.384 with eight long balls, 31 RBI and 24 runs in 245 plate appearances. However, he has a .916 OPS with four homers in his past 19 contests.

Freeman went 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI, a walk and four runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Mets.

Freeman has recorded four multi-hit games over his last seven contests and while he hasn't been much of a run producer during that stretch, he's undoubtedly seeing the ball well. The star first baseman hit .306 during June, posting a .868 OPS across 28 games.

Cabrera went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the Cardinals.

Cabrera got the start at third base, his fourth in the last five games, and has gone 5-for-10 with a pair of doubles and two RBI during that stretch. The versatile veteran may not be an everyday player given his age, but Cabrera is a useful piece for manager Torey Lovullo, who must navigate injuries to outfielders Ketel Marte (hamstring) and Kole Calhoun (hamstring). Infielder Josh Rojas has been deployed in the outfield to help cover those losses, which leads to opportunities for Cabrera. His biggest obstacle to playing time is the state of the franchise, which owns the worst record in MLB. That could lead to younger players, like Josh VanMeter or Andrew Young, getting more infield starts ahead of the veteran.