MLB Player News

Votto is not in the lineup Thursday against the Cardinals.

The 34-year-old has gotten off to a relatively slow start at the plate, producing a .586 OPS in 48 plate appearances without a single extra-base hit. This will also be the first time since 2016 in which he's not in the starting lineup. It's likely just a night off to clear his head, so look for him to return to his regular post at first base for Friday's contest. Adam Duvall will take his place at first Thursday.

Hiura has missed the past three games after getting hit on the shoulder by a pitch Sunday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The top prospect is already limited to DH duty due to a lingering elbow problem, but the team doesn't seem to be overly concerned by this new issue. His shoulder reportedly just tightened up on him the last couple days. Hiura is expected to return to the lineup for High-A Carolina on Thursday night, though he'll likely be limited to acting as the DH for a bit longer.

Rizzo (back) spent time in the batting cage Thursday, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

Rizzo should be back in action when he's eligible to return from the DL on Monday prior to the series opener against St. Louis. In his place, Victor Caratini has picked up a few starts at first base while Ben Zobrist will get the nod during Thursday's game versus Pittsburgh.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and three RBI in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Giants.

With four extra-base hits in his last three games and home runs in back-to-back contests, Goldschmidt finally seems to be waking from his season-long slumber. It's particularly encouraging that Goldschmidt, who entered the series with a meager .100/.341/.133 slash line and a career-worst 26.8 percent strikeout rate, managed to break out at San Francisco's AT&T Park, a notoriously pitcher-friendly venue. Dodger Stadium is certainly no hitter's haven either -- especially with Kenta Maeda, Rich Hill and Clayton Kershaw slated to start the next three games for Los Angeles -- but Goldschmidt's strong showing in San Francisco should give fantasy owners confidence in him heading into a trio of tough matchups this weekend.

Hoskins is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

Hoskins receives a standard day of rest following seven straight games in the lineup as Scott Kingery draws a start in left field for the series finale. Over the first couple weeks of the year, Hoskins is hitting .375/.500/.719 with two home runs, nine RBI and two stolen bases.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two runs and a walk in Arizona's 5-4 loss to the Giants on Tuesday.

Goldschmidt finally picked up his first long ball of the season and did so in dramatic fashion with a game-tying solo shot off Hunter Strickland in the ninth inning. There's no denying it's been a rough start for the perennial All-Star first baseman and he's still hitting just .158. However, he's managed to walk 11 times to keep his on-base percentage at a respectable .360 through the struggles and he's got a triple and three runs scored over his past two games in addition to the homer. When he gets it rolling, few can provide the same type of cross-category production that Goldschmidt offers, so hopefully Tuesday's homer is a sign he's ready to get back to his old tricks.

Bour went 2-for-5 with two home runs, four RBI and two runs scored Tuesday against the Mets.

Bour entered the game with just one extra-base hit in 11 games this season but provided some punch on Tuesday with two home runs, both of which came off right-handed pitching. The slow start has done nothing to quell fears about his ability to produce given the lineup surrounding him, but his performance is a reminder of the power he is capable of producing single-handedly.

Flores went 2-for-5 with a home run, double, run scored and two RBI Tuesday against the Marlins.

Flores got the start at first base and batted third with left-hander Caleb Smith on the mound for the Marlins, but his damage came on a home run against right-hander Kyle Barraclough. He is known for crushing left-handed pitching, but has posted just a .385 slugging percentage against right-handed pitching over his past three seasons. He's gotten inconsistent playing time as a result, with the start of this season being no different. Given that he entered the game 1-for-7 against right-handers, it doesn't appear he is in for a breakout season, but if he starts to hit for power against same-side pitching, he may be worth paying attention to in shallower formats.

Cabrera went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs Tuesday against the Marlins.

After hitting his first home run of the season Sunday, Cabrera homered from both sides of the plate Tuesday. His first came in the fourth inning off left-hander Caleb Smith and his second in the eighth inning off right-hander Kyle Barraclough. He has proven over the past few seasons that he can still hit for power as a right-handed batter, but posted only a .407 slugging percentage from the left side of the plate last season. However, he already has four extra-base hits this season as a left-handed batter, which could make him an underrated source of power in the early going.

Bell went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI in Tuesday's 8-5 win against the Cubs.

Bell's terrific start to the season continued Tuesday, as his multi-hit effort brought his batting average up to .333 through 10 games. With eight runs scored and seven RBI in that time, Bell has been a solid source of run production as well. Going forward, Bell is in line to serve as the Pirates' everyday first baseman and should see plenty of opportunities to continue elevating the .258 career batting average he entered the season with.