MLB Player News

Votto continued his assault on pitchers this month, going 3-for-6 with four RBI and two runs scored on Monday against the Dodgers.

Votto has been impossibly hot at the plate since the All-Star break, hitting an even .450. Despite his incredibly sluggish start to the season, Votto should now challenge his 80 RBI and .314 average from a season ago. The Reds' first baseman has been remarkably consistent over his career, and this season is proving to be no different.

Bell went 1-for-3 with an RBI in Sunday's loss to the Marlins.

He continues to rake in the majors and Bell now has an absurd .500/.556/1.000 slash line with a home run and five RBI through his first six at-bats. His defense was as shaky as advertised though and while he didn't commit a fielding error in his first big league start, two other Pirates did get charged with throwing errors on plays a slicker first baseman might have been able to salvage. The Pirates would seem to have little to lose by letting Bell's stick carry him through his growing pains with the glove, but his defensive issues could prevent him from seizing a full-time starting role.

Freeman was out of Sunday's lineup after receiving a painkiller injection in his right middle finger Saturday night that carries with it a 48-hour recovery, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Freeman has reportedly been dealing with the finger injury since spring training, but must have been worse than usual following Saturday's game. The injection cost him his first game of the season Sunday and likely leaves his status for Monday's contest questionable as well. Consider the star first baseman day-to-day for the time being.

Howard is in the lineup Sunday against the Cardinals, Stephen Gross of the Morning Call reports.

Tommy Joseph will head back to the bench as Howard gets the nod to start at first and bat cleanup. Howard owns a disappointing .197 batting average for the season, but has hit .345/.387/.776 with seven home runs since the All-Star break.

Freeman is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Freeman is riding a 10-game hitting streak and has a good track record against Sunday's opposing starter, Gio Gonzalez, but he also has not had a day off since April 14, so manager Brian Snitker decided to give him one Sunday. Nick Markakis will get the start at first base in Freeman's place.

Votto is out of the lineup for Sunday's outing against the Dodgers, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Votto went 2-for-3 with a run and RBI on Saturday, but will give way to Ivan De Jesus at first base Sunday. Votto, who's hitting .409/.517/.727 with two home runs over the last seven games, will likely return to the lineup Monday for the Reds' series finale against Los Angeles.

Bell will make his first big league start at first base Sunday against the Marlins, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

As a mid-game replacement Saturday, he popped out to center field and played two innings of defense at first base. Following a four-game dalliance with Pittsburgh just prior to the All-Star break, Bell hit .211/.312/.275 in 125 Triple-A plate appearances. With David Freese set to serve as the Bucs' primary third baseman while Jung-Ho Kang (shoulder) recovers, Bell's main competition at first base figures to be John Jaso and Sean Rodriguez. A strong performance Sunday could net him addtional playing time in the coming week.

Bell was recalled by the Pirates on Saturday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Bill Brink reports.

Jung Ho Kang was placed on the DL with a shoulder injury Saturday, so David Freese figures to play primarily at third base in the short term, opening up some at-bats for Bell at first base. The Pirates clearly don't love Bell's defense at first base, as his bat is big league ready and John Jaso has been awful offensively over the last few months. Nonetheless, it would seem they will have to give him a chance there at some point, and Kang's injury opens up an opportunity. In shallower non-keeper leagues, he may not be the best add, as he won't play every day, but in deeper formats he could offer enough with his bat to be useful if he's only starting four or five day per week.

Howard will sit out Saturday's matchup with the Cardinals.

He'll be replaced by Tommy Joseph at first base. It simply appears to be a routine day off for the Howard, who is slashing just .197/.252/.448 on the season.

Votto went 2-for-3 with a home run, four RBI, two runs, and a walk in a 9-2 victory over the Dodgers on Friday.

He started things off in the first inning by smacking his 20th homer of the season, a 408-foot shot to center that plated Billy Hamilton and Ivan De Jesus. He then drove in his fourth run of the day with a bases-loaded walk in the fourth inning. Votto's amazing resurgence, which has primarily unfolded in the second half, has seen him slash .413/.549/.627 in July and .417/.500/.650 to date in August, raising his season average a whopping 49 points since July 1.