MLB Player News

Bell went 2-for-5 with a walk and a two-run double against the Rangers on Tuesday.

He ranks 10th in the major leagues with an average exit velocity of 94.2 mph -- he finished 97th with an average exit velocity of 90 mph in 2018. Bell leads Pittsburgh in runs (16), doubles (eight), homers (six) and RBI (21). The switch hitter's hitting both left-handed pitching (.870 OPS) and righties (.990 OPS) and is on track to help make fantasy owners forget about his disappointing 2018 campaign.

Flores went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Yankees.

His second-inning solo shot off CC Sabathia was Flores' first homer as a Diamondback. His .241/.299/.329 slash line through 26 games is nothing special, but Flores should remain in the lineup on a regular basis, and Tuesday's long ball might have been what he needed to get going at the plate.

Cooper was diagnosed with a left hand bruise as X-rays came back negative after he was hit by a pitch Tuesday, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

Cooper just spent a month on the injured list with a calf strain and it appeared as though a quick return to the IL could be in store after he was plunked during his second plate appearance. Thankfully the 28-year-old only suffered the bruise and is considered day-to-day.

Bohm was promoted to High-A Clearwater on Tuesday, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.

Last season's third overall pick made Low-A look easy, as he recorded an excellent .367/.441/.595 line in 22 games for Lakewood. For a power-over-hit prospect, it's particularly encouraging to see that he struck out just 15.1 percent of the time, building on his 15.7 percent strikeout rate in 29 games for short-season Williamsport at the end of last year. If he handles High-A as well as he handled Low-A, expect him to move to Double-A Reading before the end of the year.

Beaty was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

Beaty has gotten off to a solid start at Triple-A this season, batting .277 with two homers and 10 RBI over 22 games. He'll have an opportunity to make his major-league debut in his fifth year with the organization after A.J. Pollock (elbow) was placed on the 10-day injured list.

France will bat fifth and play third base in his first career start Tuesday against Atlanta.

France has been up for several days but was relegated to a bench role. With Fernando Tatis now on the injured list with a left hamstring strain, France could see a run of starts if the Padres continue with the same arrangement they're using Tuesday, with France at third base and Manny Machado sliding over to Tatis' shortstop position.

Cooper (calf) has been activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's game against the Indians, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

Cooper was sent to the shelf just three games into the regular season, but he's completed his rehab assignment and will return to the team for Tuesday's series opener. In a corresponding move, Lewis Brinson has been optioned to Triple-A New Orleans.

Votto will start at first base and hit second Tuesday against the Mets.

After serving as the Reds' leadoff man for 10 starts in a row, Votto has moved to the two hole for the first two games of the series in New York. Considering that Jose Peraza set the table versus a right-handed pitcher (Zach Wheeler) on Monday and will do so again Tuesday against a southpaw (Jason Vargas), manager David Bell may have decided to at least temporarily pull the plug on using Votto as the club's leadoff hitter. The one-spot change in the order shouldn't have a dramatic impact on the fantasy value of Votto, whose stock has been more affected by his downturn in power (career-worst .400 slugging percentage through 28 games) than his lineup placement.

Cooper (calf) appears to be on target to rejoin the Marlins on Tuesday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

"When he shows he is healthy and able to play two, three, four days in a row, then we have to make a decision," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Sunday. The 28-year-old has already done just that, going 6-for-9 with two doubles and a homer while suiting up for all three of High-A Jupiter's games this weekend, and Tuesday is the first day he'll be eligible to come off the injured list. Given that Neil Walker is also dealing with a sore hamstring, expect the Marlins to activate Cooper right away.

Freeman went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and two walks in Sunday's win over the Rockies.

Freeman clubbed a two-run blast to cap off a three-run first inning, notching his fifth homer of the campaign. The first three hitters in Atlanta's order did the majority of the damage in the series finale, as Ozzie Albies, Josh Donaldson and Freeman accounted for seven of the team's eight runs.