MLB Player News

Votto went 2-for-3 with a walk, one RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 8-2 victory over Milwaukee.

Votto gave the Reds an early lead after driving in Tucker Barnhart on an RBI double in the first inning. Votto went 4-for-14 with three walks, a double and one RBI during Cincinnati's four-game series with the Brewers. He's now batting .300 with eight homers and 43 RBI through 83 games this season.

Freeman went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 6-5 win over St. Louis.

The 6-foot-5 first baseman is having yet another strong season, swatting 16 home runs with 56 RBI and a terrific .315/.407/.546 slash line. Freeman has gradually increased his monthly home run total this season, finishing June with six despite not hitting once since June 15. He's already off to a strong start here in July and should continue terrorizing opposing pitchers all summer long.

Cabrera went 1-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored and a walk in a 5-2 win over Miami on Sunday.

Cabrera took Marlins starter Dan Straily deep for a solo blast in the third inning to extend his team's lead to 2-0. The 32-year-old infielder has now matched last season's home run total in over 160 fewer at-bats, and he has a shot at surpassing his career high of 25 set back in 2011. Cabrera is slashing .280/.323/.479 on the year.

Santana is out of the lineup Sunday against the Nationals.

Santana will get just his second day off of the season, as he hasn't been held out of the starting lineup since all the way back on April 18. Though he was hitless Saturday, Santana owns an .853 OPS in the month of June. He'll give way to Rhys Hoskins at first base for the series finale.

Smith, who remains out of the lineup Sunday against the Marlins, is expected back Tuesday or Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Smith hasn't seen the starting lineup since Tuesday, and Mets fans were first given an explanation for his absence Saturday. According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Smith required an injection in his wrist last week, and a subsequent MRI revealed no unexpected damage. The team has a day off Monday but expects Smith to be back in action prior to the upcoming two-game set in Toronto. The 23-year-old owns a .670 OPS since his early June promotion.

Smith's absence from the last two starting lineups was due to a sore right wrist, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Smith's injury doesn't appear to be serious, though it's unclear if he'd deserve a spot in the starting lineup when healthy. Through 17 games, he's hitting just .222/.255/.400, with miserable strikeout (36.2 percent) and walk (2.1 percent) rates. Still, the struggling Mets have little reason not to give him the opportunity to prove whether or not he's a part of their core moving forward, so expect him in the lineup on a fairly frequent basis.

Santana went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's loss to the Nationals.

The homer, Santana's 14th of the season, was a two-out shot off Tim Collins. Santana's batting average is still just .225 -- the lowest of his career -- though much of that can be attributed to a frustrating run of luck early in the season. Since May 1, the first baseman has hit .264 with 12 home runs. The veteran has been a strong all-around offensive asset this season outside of that poor batted-ball luck. He's on pace for 28 home runs, the second-highest total of his career, while his 17.8 percent walk rate (third in the league behind Mike Trout and Bryce Harper) and 13.4 percent strikeout rate are both career bests.

Walker was called up from Triple-A Reno on Friday.

Walker has played in 17 games with the Diamondbacks this season, going 3-for-17 with two RBI and 10 strikeouts during his brief opportunities at the big-league level. He will supply a little extra depth all around the field but don't expect him to make much of an impact. Jimmie Sherfy was optioned to Reno in a corresponding move.

Smith is not in the lineup against the Marlins on Friday.

Smith will remain on the bench for a second straight game as Jose Bautista draws another start in the outfield during the first contest of the Mets' mini road trip. Over 14 games in June, Smith has hit .233 with a .685 OPS while striking out 16 times.

Hoskins went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double Thursday against the Nationals.

Hoskins put the Phillies up 4-1 with his home run in the seventh inning, his 13th of the season. Entering June, Hoskins was slugging a disappointing .415, but his 12 extra-base hits in June have brought that up to .496. While that's still well off pace from his .618 mark in his rookie campaign, Hoskins has showcased his pop of late.