MLB Player News

Smith went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run, an additional RBI and a walk in Tuesday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

Smith carried the Mets offensively and contributed three of the team's five runs, blasting a two-run shot in the top of the fourth and adding another RBI with a sac fly in the sixth. He's hit safely in three straight games and in nine of his last 12 contests, though he's only hitting .268 with a 20.8 percent strikeout rate in that span. Smith also ended his homer drought, as the two-run shot was his first long ball since April 13.

Beaty went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a strikeout in a 3-2 loss to St. Louis on Tuesday.

Beaty went long off reliever Giovanny Gallegos in the seventh inning to knot the game at 2-2 and account for the only runs Los Angeles would score in the game. The homer bumped his season slash line up to a solid .284/.376/.420.

Hoskins went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double, an additional RBI and a walk in Tuesday's win over the Reds.

Hoskins was one of five Phillies who went deep in Tuesday's contest, and the slugging first baseman belted his 12th long ball of the campaign in the top of the sixth inning off reliever Amir Garrett. The 28-year-old has four home runs over his last 10 games.

Walker is not in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets.

Pavin Smith will start at first base as Walker takes a seat for the second day in a row. Walker is normally the everyday starter at first base, but manager Torey Lovullo is trying to get his two hottest hitters -- Smith and Josh Reddick -- in the lineup, so he sat Walker against a pair of right-handers Sunday and Monday.

Rizzo (back) is in the starting lineup Tuesday against the Padres after missing the previous six games.

Rizzo said earlier Tuesday that he expected to be back in the lineup, and now he's officially slated to bat third and play first base against the Friars.

Bell is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Braves, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Bell, who's hitting just .103 against lefty pitchers this season, sits against Atlanta's Max Fried. After a hot stretch that lasted nearly two weeks, the switch hitter is just 1-for-14 in his last five games. Ryan Zimmerman fills in at first base Tuesday.

Votto (thumb) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.

This is fantastic news for the Reds, as they've been without their first baseman since he fractured his left thumb May 5. It's not entirely clear how long the Reds plan to have Votto spend with Louisville, but he seems likely to rejoin Cincinnati's lineup within a week's time. Manager David Bell said that Votto could rejoin the team within the next week to 10 days and also noted that the slugger's biggest obstacle is managing the pain of catching the baseball, per Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Hiura went 0-for-3 with a strikeout Monday in the Brewers' 3-2 win over the Tigers in 10 innings.

The Brewers had hoped that a three-week stint in the minors would help Hiura refine his swing mechanics and regain some confidence at the plate, but the 24-year-old hasn't shown any improvement since his May 24 call-up. Despite benefitting from a slew of matchups versus left-handed pitching, Hiura has mustered only one hit in 19 at-bats with a 2:10 BB:K in his first seven games back with Milwaukee. Until he cuts down on his strikeouts and shows he can hit for power consistently, Hiura may be limited to a short-side platoon role at first base behind Daniel Vogelbach.

Alonso went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and two additional RBI in Monday's win over Arizona.

Alonso couldn't have wished for a stronger return, as he was activated from the injured list a few hours before the game and contributed with four of the team's six runs, including his seventh home run of the campaign. The slugger is hitting .242 on the season.

Rizzo (back) said Tuesday that he is feeling "a lot better" and expects to return to the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Rizzo has missed each of Chicago's last six games with the back issue. The first baseman participated in running drills and took grounders prior to Monday's contest, and he now appears in line to rejoin the lineup Tuesday night. That said, the slugger will still need to be cleared by the Cubs' medical staff before manager David Ross can officially pencil his name onto the lineup card.