MLB Player News

Votto went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Saturday's 9-5 loss to the Brewers.

The 32-year-old enjoyed a rare bright spot in an otherwise miserable season, blasting his fifth homer of May, to go along with a solid 14 RBI. Votto also has hit safely in three straight, but his May has turned out to be even more dismal than his April. The former All-Star is hitting .182 during the current month, with his long-ball prowess serving as about the only redeeming quality of his offense.

Cabrera, who left Wednesday's game against the Nationals with back spasms before he took his first at-bat, is back in the lineup Friday.

Cabrera has been moved up to second in the lineup against the Dodgers uber-prospect Julio Urias while slotting in at his usual shortstop position.

Flores (hamstring) will not be activated from the disabled list prior to Friday's game against the Dodgers, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

The Mets were fairly confident that Flores would be ready to take over at first base Friday, but it seems that they want to give him a bit more time rehabbing in the minor leagues. It doesn't seem to be a health issue, but it could be just a way to get him a few more at-bats prior to coming up to the big leagues. The 24-year-old is hitless over the past two days with Double-A Binghamton, so he'll stay their to get a bit more comfortable at the plate. Despite the minor delay, Flores still seems to be very close to a return to the Mets lineup.

Rizzo is out of Friday's lineup.

He'll get a rare day off for Friday's matinee against the Phillies. Surprisingly, Kris Bryant will get his first start at first base of the season -- a position he has played just once in the big leagues. The Cubs are using Thursday's off day to give players like Rizzo and Jason Heyward a nice two-day rest in advance of a 12-game stretch without an off day.

Howard is out of the lineup Friday against the Cubs, the News Journal's Meghan Montemurro reports.

This comes as no surprise as the Cubs are trotting out one of the top lefties in the game in Jon Lester for Friday's matinee. Tommy Joseph will start at first base and hit cleanup in his stead -- a trend that should continue against southpaws.

Freeman has one hit in his last 26 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

It's one of the reasons Freeman has just 15 RBI despite eight homers this season. However, Freeman is hardly alone with his struggles, as Atlanta is 4-for-53 with RISP over the last seven games. In addition to the eight homers and 15 RBI, Freeman is hitting .254 with 20 runs and one steal.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-5 with two RBI in Thursday's loss to the Pirates but also stranded five runners on base.

The slugger had a chance to do more damage but didn't get it done. In the three-game series with Pittsburgh, Goldschmidt left a total of 10 runners on base. It's a good sign that runners are getting on in front of him, and if Goldschmidt begins to heat up at the plate, the RBI total could rise quickly.

Bell, 23, is batting .382 with one home run and six RBI over his last 10 games for Triple-A Indianapolis.

The refrain remains the same for Bell. He is batting .297/.402/.458 on the season, but has just four home runs in 43 games. The Pirates are currently playing John Jaso at first base, and though he has no more power than Bell, Jaso is batting .303 with a .371 OBP. As such, until an injury or a trade occurs, Bell will continue to bide his time at Triple-A.

Rizzo went 0-for-4 with a walk in a victory over the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Rizzo's current slump might even be worse than the one he had in April, as he is just 3-for-38 with two RBI in his last 10 games. He has a respectable 5:6 BB:K in that span, but he's had trouble hitting 'em where they ain't. He's slashing .234/.371/.497 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI this season.

Stassi has a .227 batting average with eight doubles after playing in 33 games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

After a strong first month of play at the Triple-A level, Stassi has experienced some struggles in the month of May. He's 5-for-30 in his last 10 games and his slugging percentage currently sits at .340, down from the .470 he posted at Double-A Reading in 2015. However, with Tommy Joseph's recent call-up to Philadelphia, Stassi will have more opportunities to adjust to Triple-A ball and rediscover the power in his bat.