MLB Player News

Bell went 4-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Reds.

The first baseman has endured a rough sophomore campaign so far, slashing only .267/.350/.407 with five homers in 98 games, but he's at least started to string together some hits. Bell's posted a .355 batting average (22-for-62) over his last 19 games. If he can also re-discover the power stroke that allowed him to slug 26 homers last year, the 25-year-old could put together a big stretch run for a Pirates squad still in the wild-card race.

Dixon was called up from Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

Dixon is up to replace Alex Blandino, who was placed on the disabled list with a torn ACL. Dixon hit .219/.265/.344 in 29 games for the Reds earlier in the season, appearing everywhere but catcher, shortstop and center field. He'll likely fill the same utility role this time around.

Blandino was placed on the disabled list with a torn ACL on Saturday.

Blandino suffered the injury in Friday's game against the Pirates. The severity of the injury will likely shut him down for the rest of the season. Brandon Dixon was called up to take his place on the roster.

Alonso went 3-for-4 with a home run, a triple and a walk for Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

After getting off to a 5-for-45 start in July, Alonso's bat has heated up the last two games, with the first baseman reaching base in seven of 10 plate appearances. The back-to-back strong showings came after he returned from a dazzling performance earlier in the week at the Futures Game, where he homered on the hardest-hit ball of the contest, as measured by Statcast data. Perhaps a turnaround is brewing for Alonso, who is hitting just .200/.325/.486 across 126 plate appearance since being promoted to the Pacific Coast League in mid-June.

Blandino suffered what appeared to be a significant knee injury late in Friday's loss to the Pirates, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "He was really sore. And he'll get some X-rays tomorrow, I believe get an MRI tomorrow. Hopefully it's something that will not be too devastating for him but certainly it's very unfortunate," Reds manager Jim Riggleman said after the game.

Blandino was trying to complete a double-play in the ninth inning of an 11-1 game when the Pirates' Max Moroff appeared to get his cleats stuck in the mud while stopping a slide and accidentally rolled into Blandino. Blandino wasn't able to put much weight on the knee and had to be helped off the field.

Santana went 1-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Friday's 11-5 win over the Padres.

The veteran switch hitter drove in the Phillies' first run of the game with a groundout in the first inning, while his three-run shot in the second put the team in the lead for good. Santana now has 15 homers on the season, but his .209/.350/.403 slash line limits his fantasy value in traditional 5x5 fantasy formats.

Votto is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Pirates, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Votto has started all but three games prior to Friday this season, but the Reds could simply be looking to give the veteran first baseman an additional day of rest after participating in the All-Star Game on Tuesday. Adam Duvall gets the nod at first base for Cincinnati, as Votto should return to the lineup Saturday against the Pirates.

Cabrera (hand) will start at second base and bat third in the lineup against the Yankees on Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Cabrera won't be forced to miss any additional time after suffering a right hand injury during Sunday's game versus Washington. Across 92 games in the first half, Cabrera hit .281/.334/.490 with 17 home runs and 52 RBI.

Smith was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

Smith was out of the lineup for the Mets' final four games prior to the All-Star break, so it's unsurprising to see him return to the 51s with Yoenis Cespedes (hip) returning from the disabled list. The 23-year-old has a .260/.343/.370 slash line with only two home runs in 56 games for Las Vegas this season.

Bell went 7-for-15 and reached base 12 times in 20 at-bats in the five-game series against Milwaukee leading up to the All-Star break.

Although the first baseman hit 26 homers in 2017, that power has evaporated this year. He's belted only five home runs in 326 at-bats in 2018. Bell never hit more than 14 homers in parts of five minor-league seasons, but with a 6-foot-4, 235-pound frame, it was thought that the 25-year-old might produce numbers similar to 2017. He's slashed .317/.417/.455 in 120 plate appearances since moving out of the cleanup spot, giving hope he can continue raising a disappointing .738 OPS.