MLB Player News

Walker went hitless in four at-bats in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Rockies.

Walker made a third straight start Tuesday after he'd been given a one-game break Saturday, but the breather did nothing to revive his slumbering bat. He hasn't produced a base hit over his last 21 at-bats and is down to .239. Manager Torey Lovullo may give Kevin Cron a bigger share of the playing time if Walker continues to slide.

Cooper went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, three runs and a walk during an 11-3 victory against the Giants on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old is coming around, as he is hitting .303 (10-for-33) with four extra-base hits, including three home runs, in the last eight games. Two of those extra-base hits have come since Monday. But Cooper started in a big hole, going 0-for-14 to begin the season. He also spent time on the injured list during that slump.

Hiura went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Twins.

The rookie took Blake Parker deep in the eighth inning, Hiura's third homer in the last eight games. He's now slashing .261/.306/.457 since his promotion, and while his 1:19 BB:K through 13 contests is worrisome, the 22-year-old is doing some damage when he does make contact.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Tuesday against the Phillies.

Goldschmidt took Nick Pivetta deep in the first inning to record his 11th home run of the season. It was both his first homer and extra-base hit since May 12. While he's still hitting a respectable .268 and getting on-base at a strong .359 clip, his current .449 slugging percentage is nearly 80 points lower than his mark in 2018.

Votto isn't starting Tuesday against Pittsburgh due to right hamstring tightness, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Votto felt the issue crop up during Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader. The veteran first baseman doesn't expect the injury to bother him for long, however, and he's optimistic that he'll be available to pinch hit Tuesday evening, per Nightengale.

Votto isn't in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Pirates, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

This marks the second straight game that Votto has been out of the lineup, though there's been no word on an injury. Derek Dietrich draws the start at first base and is batting cleanup with Votto out of the mix.

Bell went 3-for-8 with a double and solo home run during both games of a doubleheader against the Reds on Monday.

With hits in both games, Bell is now on a seven-game hitting streak. He's raised his average to .340, but even more impressively, Bell's slugging .711. That's because he's amassed 18 doubles, 17 home runs and two triples to boot. Bell also has 48 RBI and 39 runs in 197 at-bats, putting himself firmly in the MVP conversation almost one-third of the way through the year.

Rizzo went 2-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Monday's 6-5 loss to the Astros.

He staked the Cubs to an early lead with his first-inning blast off Gerrit Cole, but Cole Hamels couldn't make it hold up. Rizzo has now hit safely in nine straight games, slashing a blistering .486/.561/1.000 with three doubles, five homers, 10 runs and 13 RBI over that stretch.

Votto is not in the lineup for the second game of Monday's doubleheader against the Pirates.

Votto went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI in the afternoon contest, but the Reds won't ask his 35-year-old legs to handle two games in one day. Derek Dietrich slides over to first base in his absence, with Jose Peraza starting at second.

Smith got the start at first base and hit second in Sunday's win over the Tigers, going 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored.

Playing time has been hard to come by for Smith this season thanks to Pete Alonso's emergence -- Sunday's start was his first since May 16. Despite the erratic workload, the 23-year-old has performed when called upon, slashing .340/.456/.489 in 57 plate appearances with a homer, six RBI and 13 runs. With the Mets reluctant so far to repeat last year's experiment of using him in an outfield corner, though, Smith's path to a more consistent role would require an injury to Alonso, or a trade.