MLB Player News

Goldschmidt, who went 2-for-4 in a win over the Phillies on Thursday, operated out of the No. 3 spot in the lineup for the first time this season, Paul Casella of MLB.com reports.

Manager Mike Shildt opted to flip-flop Goldschmidt and usual No. 3 hitter Paul DeJong in the order for the series finale in an attempt to find an offensive spark. Shildt was also looking to set Goldschmidt up with more RBI opportunities, considering he'd entered Thursday having logged only 43 plate appearances with runners in scoring position all season. Although those didn't immediately present themselves Thursday, Goldschmidt could continue seeing time in the No. 3 slot that he logged 724 starts in during his eight seasons with the Diamondbacks.

Walker went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and two runs in the Diamondbacks' 11-10 defeat to the Rockies on Thursday.

Walker had been in a 3-for-37 slump coming into the game, but he broke out with a multi-hit day in this contest that included his ninth homer of the season. He got off to a red-hot start to the season, but thanks to the recent skid, his batting average is down to .247 through 194 at-bats, so hopefully this was a sign he's ready to get back on track.

Shaw was promoted to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday.

Shaw spend most of the 2018 campaign with Sacramento, hitting .259/.308/.505 with 24 homers and 65 RBI in 101 games for the River Cats. He opened the 2019 season back at Double-A Richmond, where he hit .288/.368/.500 with seven homers and 24 RBI in 45 games before earning a promotion back to Triple-A. Should he continue to succeed at the highest level of the minors, Shaw could get another shot with the big-league club sometime this summer; he struggled in his first taste of the majors last season, hitting .185/.274/.278 in 22 games.

Smith went 3-for-5 with a home run and another two runs scored in Wednesday's 9-8 loss at Dodger Stadium.

Smith joined Amed Rosario in going deep off Julio Urias in the seventh inning to increase New York's lead to 8-3, but ultimately a ninth-inning rally by the Dodgers erased any chance for a win. The 23-year-old continues to compile an impressive campaign, batting .370/.469/.556 with two homers, 17 runs scored and seven RBI in just 54 plate appearances.

Alonso went 3-for-4 with a pair of two-run homers in Wednesday's loss at Dodger Stadium.

Alonso went deep off Walker Buehler twice, driving in Dominic Smith on both occasions. The rookie slugger has been on a tear this season, batting .264/.338/.624 with a team-leading 19 home runs and 43 RBI to go with 34 runs scored.

Bell went 3-for-5 with a three-run home run and two runs in a 7-2 victory against the Reds on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old is now on a nine-game hitting streak, after he started the month on a 15-game hitting streak. Bell has gone hitless in just one game during May. For the month, he is batting .398 with 12 home runs and 30 RBI. Bell has as many home runs in May (with two days still remaining) as he did all of last year. Overall, Bell is batting .345 with 18 home runs, 51 RBI and 41 runs in 206 at-bats this season. He's slugging an incredible .718.

Walker is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Rockies.

Walker is just 3-for-37 (.081) with a 31.7 percent strikeout rate over his last 10 appearances, so he'll give way to Kevin Cron at first base as he looks to hit the reset button. If Walker doesn't show signs of turning things around in the near future, he could continue to cede opportunities to the 26-year-old Cron.

Naylor is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.

The lefty-hitting rookie will take a seat for the series finale in New York with a tough southpaw (James Paxton) on the bump for the Yankees. Through his first five appearances in the big leagues, Naylor has gone 4-for-20 with two doubles, three RBI and eight strikeouts. With the designated-hitter spot no longer available to the Padres when they resume National League play Friday against the Marlins, it's unclear if Naylor will remain with the big club. He doesn't have a clear path to an everyday role and would offer little appeal as a bench option, given his lack of defensive value.

Manager David Bell said he expects Votto (hamstring) to rejoin the starting lineup Friday against the Nationals, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Votto is out of the lineup for a third straight game due to a tight right hamstring, though it sounds like his absence from Wednesday's series finale against the Pirates is precautionary. With Thursday's off day, Votto will get two days to rest and recover before likely returning to action for Friday's series opener.

Votto (hamstring) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

After Votto sat out the second game of Monday's doubleheader, the Reds revealed that he was contending with a tight right hamstring, which kept him on the bench for Tuesday's 11-6 win. He'll now sit out a third straight contest on account of the injury, paving the way for Derek Dietrich to pick up another start at first base following his three-homer performance a day earlier.