MLB Player News

Votto went 2-for-4 with a double and his third home run in four days during Friday's romp over Cleveland.

Before this week, Votto was hitting the ball hard without seeing the results. Votto didn't have any extra-base hits prior to this week, but now he has three homers and a double in the last four games.

Cronenworth went 2-for-2 with two RBI, two doubles, two walks and a stolen base in Thursday's 8-3 win over the Pirates.

Thursday was more of the same for the second-year infielder, whose torrid start to 2021 is highlighted by a .358 average, five doubles and a 4:7 K/BB ratio. Following a strong rookie campaign, Cronenworth faced additional pressure to perform with the signing of Ha-Seong Kim, but he'll remain in the San Diego lineup after Fernando Tatis returns as long as he keeps his OBP anywhere close to its current .435 mark. His defensive versatility only helps his chances of staying in the lineup throughout the season amidst his team's impressive infield depth.

Calhoun isn't starting Thursday's game against the Nationals.

Calhoun went 1-for-5 with a run and three strikeouts in Tuesday's loss to Oakland. He'll take a seat for the second time in the last four games with Pavin Smith starting in right field Thursday, batting sixth.

Solano went 2-for-3 in Wednesday's 3-0 win over Cincinnati.

The infielder is now hitting .353 in the young season, but he only has three RBI and is slugging just .412. Solano has started just two of San Francisco's last five games, and it appears the 33-year-old will not be the everyday starter at second base in 2021. His lack of base-stealing prowess and power potential will keep his numbers modest, but as long as Solano continues making contact at a high rate, he'll hold legitimate fantasy value in deeper formats.

Smith went 3-for-5 with an RBI in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Phillies.

It's the first multi-hit performance of the year for the 25-year-old, who's managed only five total hits over his first six games. That was still enough to boost Smith's batting average to .286 (8-for-28) and he has produced solid power numbers with two homers and six RBI, but his 0:11 BB:K is a cause for concern.

Wade was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain Wednesday, Amy Gutierrez of the Giants' official site reports.

Wade was recalled by the Giants on Sunday and went 2-for-6 with a double, one walk and two strikeouts in three games. However, he's now dealing with a left oblique issue that will force him to miss time. According to Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News, manager Gabe Kapler said that Wade will likely need at least two weeks to recover from the injury, so the outfielder should be on the shelf for slightly longer than the minimum amount of time. Steven Duggar was recalled from the alternate training site and should serve as outfield depth while Wade is sidelined.

Bell isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Cardinals, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Bell reached base safely in his first two games of the season to begin the week. He went 1-for-6 with three runs, three walks and two strikeouts during that time. However, he'll get a routine day off Wednesday with Ryan Zimmerman starting at first base, batting third.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer and a strikeout in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Phillies.

An 0-for-4 showing with two more whiffs in the nightcap put a damper on his day, but Smith still connected on his second homer of the year in the first inning of the matinee. The 25-year-old has fanned nine times in his first 23 at-bats this season, leading to a .217 batting average, but three of his five hits have gone for extra bases (one double and two homers, both of which have come against the Phillies' Chase Anderson).

Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two runs scored and three RBI on Tuesday against the Nationals.

Goldschmidt quickly got on track, taking Stephen Strasburg yard in his first at-bat for his first home run of the season. It was also his first extra-base hit since Opening Day, and he entered Tuesday's contest having gone just 5-for-34 at the dish since. Goldschmidt is only striking out a 17.4 percent clip, so this early season slump is likely just a small hiccup early on rather than a sign of things to come.

Rizzo went 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Brewers.

While Rizzo didn't score a run or drive anyone in, it was still a productive day for the veteran first baseman. Perhaps this will help him get going, as he's still batting just .162 even after the two-hit performance. Before Tuesday, Rizzo had gone 0-for-11 across his last three games. He's too talented to stay down for much longer, so fantasy managers may want to see if they can buy low before a full-blown hot streak.