MLB Player News

Votto went 2-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Braves.

After a slow start to the season, Votto's now gone yard in back-to-back games while driving in at least one run in four straight and reaching base in 10 straight. His .256/.363/.337 slash line is still well below his usual standards, but now that he seems to be getting into a groove at the plate, his numbers should rise quickly.

Cabrera is sitting out of Wednesday's game due to a sore right hamstring, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

It initially seemed like a routine night off for the veteran infielder, but manager Mickey Callaway clarified that an injury is actually in play. No MRI has been scheduled as of yet. Wilmer Flores will fill in for him at second for the evening.

Cabrera is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The day off is just Cabrera's second of the season. He's on a tear to start the season, hitting .349/.391/.590 through 92 plate appearances. Wilmer Flores will get the start at second base in his place.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-5 with a run scored and a stolen base in the Diamondbacks' 8-4 win over the Phillies on Tuesday.

Goldschmidt has long been one of the more prolific base stealers among first basemen, but he's unexpectedly seen his involvement in the run game decline so far this season, despite getting on base at a .417 clip. The stolen base was Goldschmidt's first of the season -- and also his first attempt -- through the Diamondbacks' 22 games. If his current pace holds, Goldschmidt would finish with just seven steals over a 162-game schedule, marking his lowest total of any full season of his career and an 11-steal decline from 2017.

Freeman went 2-for-6 with two solo home runs Tuesday against the Reds.

Freeman doubled his season home run total with solo shots in the seventh and ninth innings, one of which came off left-hander Amir Garrett. He has started the season right on track with strong contributions across all hitting categories besides stolen bases. With Ronald Acuna now joining the lineup, Freeman could be in line for even more prolific production.

Votto went 1-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored Tuesday against the Braves.

Votto's long awaited first home run of the season came in the fifth inning against Brandon McCarthy. He got off to a similarly slow start in 2016 before slugging .668 in the second half of the season, so there is precedent for Votto having excellent seasons after showing little out of the gate. A more notable concern is the low quality of the Reds' lineup surrounding him, as he has scored only four runs, with two coming Tuesday, despite a .351 on-base percentage.

Santana's .151/.301/.288 line through his first 93 plate appearances does not accurately reflect how he's hitting the ball, the Phillies' official site reports.

According to Statcast's expected batting average stat (which uses the Hit Probability of each batted ball), Santana deserves a batting average of .277. The 126-point gap between his actual and expected batting average is easily the largest in the majors, 28 points larger than the next most unlucky player (minimum 50 at-bats). His 51.6-percent hard-hit rate (according to Statcast) is ninth among qualified hitters, yet he's hitting just .233 on hard-hit balls, well below the league average of .512. Santana doesn't really need to do anything new to turn his lousy start around. He's already walking more than he's striking out, so once the batted balls start finding holes in the defense, his numbers should look quite good.

Ellis is slashing .210/.290/.452 with three home runs and 11 RBI across 69 plate appearances with High-A Visalia this season.

The batting average and on-base percentage aren't anything special for Ellis, but the third baseman's power has always been his main allure as a dynasty prospect. With nine extra-base hits already on his ledger, Ellis isn't disappointing on that front, and he's also displayed some early growth in terms of his plate approach. Ellis' strikeout rate sits at a manageable 13 percent, down more than eight points from the mark he posted at short-season Hillsboro in 2017.

Bour is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Dodgers, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Despite reaching base three times and driving in a pair of runs Sunday, Bour will head to the bench for Monday's series opener against the Dodgers after starting six consecutive games. Miguel Rojas will start at first base and hit leadoff in his stead.

Blandino is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Braves, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Blandino is in the midst of a modest three-game hitting streak, but he'll head to the bench for a breather after starting each of the previous four games at third base. Cliff Pennington will start at the hot corner and hit seventh in his stead Monday.