MLB Player News

Freeman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI in the second half of Monday's doubleheader against Miami.

Freeman singled home a run in the fifth inning, and he padded the lead in the seventh by slugging a solo homer over the fence in right field. The 28-year-old has collected a base knock in nine of his previous 10 games, although he's recorded just one home run over that span. He sits with a .319/.398/.530 slash line and a .928 OPS through 117 games in 2018.

Votto was removed in the sixth inning of Monday's game against Cleveland due to an apparent injury, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Votto was seen limping to second base on a double earlier in the ballgame, but he managed to remain in the contest for the next few innings. He was replaced by Curt Casali at first base in the top of the seventh frame, when the game was out of hand. Votto has been battling a sore right knee over the past few days, so it's possible the same issue is causing him problems.

The Giants signed Stassi to a minor-league contract Sunday.

Stassi was assigned to Triple-A Sacramento and made an immediate impact in his organizational debut, finishing 3-for-4 with a double Sunday in the affiliate's 4-1 loss to El Paso. The 29-year-old, who had been playing for the New Britain Bees of the independent Atlantic League before signing with the Giants, logged his only MLB action in 2017 with the Phillies. He appeared in 51 contests at the big-league level that season, slashing .167/.278/.295.

Bell went 1-for-4 with a double and run scored against San Francisco on Sunday.

Manager Clint Hurdle batted Bell cleanup for the first time since June 7, an indication of his progress at the plate. Since coming off the disabled list one week ago, the 25-year-old is 6-for-21 with two doubles, two homers and five RBI. The team's scheduled day off Monday will allow Bell to rest a sore oblique muscle.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-5 with two home runs, a double and three RBI in Sunday's 9-2 win over Cincinnati.

Goldschmidt tacked plated two in the sixth inning on a two-run homer, followed by a solo blast to left in the ninth. He finished the weekend having gone 6-for-13 with three doubles, two home runs and three RBI, and he owns a .282/.388/.532 batting line through 117 games this season.

Rizzo is starting at first base and batting first in Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Rizzo, who recorded his 1,000th career hit in Saturday's game, has almost exclusively batted leadoff since the middle of July, with the exception an Aug. 5 game in which he entered in the seventh inning and batted third. Since moving to the top of the order, the 29-year-old slugger is slashing .358/.461/.600 with five home runs and 16 RBI.

Votto (knee) is batting second and starting at first base for the series finale against the Diamondbacks, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic Cincinnati reports.

Votto sat out a pair of games earlier in the week and was held out of Saturday's lineup with a sore right knee, although he did appear as a pinch hitter Saturday. The 34-year-old has a solid .291/.429/.428 slash line, but hasn't hit a home run since July 9, a span of 96 plate appearances.

Votto (knee) served as pinch hitter Saturday, delivering an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning in the Reds' eventual victory.

Votto has been battling knee soreness and wasn't in the lineup. Though the 34-year-old has had a down year, the Diamondbacks curiously walked Jose Peraza to get to him, and he delivered with the key run-scoring single. Stay tuned for whether Votto will return to the starting card Sunday.

Votto (knee) is not in the lineup Saturday against Arizona.

Votto missed a pair of games earlier in the week with a sore right knee. He was able to play Friday but appears to have been given another day to rest. He'll likely be managed on a day-to-day basis until the Reds are confident that the knee is no longer an issue. Brandon Dixon will get the start at first base.

Bell went 3-for-5 with a double against the Giants on Friday.

A day after hitting his first homer of the season from the right side, Bell collected three additional knocks while batting right-handed and flew out to deep center. Bell is slashing .324/.414/.482 in his last 139 at-bats, though he's hit only three homers over that stretch.