MLB Player News

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.

Carter went 2-for-4 with his 28th home run of the season in a 7-6 loss to Seattle on Friday.

The fifth-inning shot to center -- the first of three Milwaukee home runs -- was the longest ever recorded at Safeco Field (465 feet). The powerful first baseman leads the league in strikeouts and holds a pedestrian .221/.315/.483 line.

Cabrera (knee) was activated from the disabled list and is starting at shortstop Friday against the Giants, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

Cabrera will return to action Friday after going down with a knee injury July 31. He'll look to get his hitting back on track, as his batting average had fallen to .255 after the All-Star break.

Major League Baseball cleared Howard of any wrongdoing in connection to a December report by Al Jazeera that claimed he received performance-enhancing drugs, Cash Kruth of MLB.com reports.

The Al Jazeera report claimed Howard and other professional athletes used the performance-enhancing substance Delta 2. Howard has filed a lawsuit against Al Jazeera because of their defamatory claims.

Cabrera (knee) is expected to be activated from the 15-day DL on Friday, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

The Mets plan on activating both Cabrera and Yoenis Cespedis on Friday. It is currently unclear who will be optioned to make room for both players. Cabrera last played July 31 against the Rockies. He's slashing just .255/.308/.410 on the season.

Cabrera (knee) will not be activated Thursday but he will rejoin the team for its series in San Francisco, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

The expectation as of Wednesday was that Cabrera would be activated for the start of the Mets series in the Bay Area, but the club will wait at least one extra day to make the roster move. Given that Cabrera is traveling Thursday and will meet up with the team, it's a possibility that the veteran infielder could be back in the lineup as soon as Friday.

Joseph isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Dodgers, Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice reports.

Joseph has seen a decrease in playing time recently due to his declining production and the slight resurgence of Ryan Howard. In his place Thursday, Howard will start at first base and bat cleanup for the Phillies.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-2 with three walks and four runs in Wednesday's win over the Mets.

It's no surprise to see Goldschmidt, one of the most disciplined hitters in the game, take free passes when pitchers nibble. It bit the Mets on Wednesday, as Goldschmidt scored four times in front of Rickie Weeks and Yasmany Tomas, who each homered twice and drove in 11 total runs.

Cabrera (knee) will be activated off the disabled list Thursday, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

Cabrera should reinforce the infield, pushing Jose Reyes back to third base while giving the Mets a more formidable lineup on a daily basis. The corresponding move remains unclear, but the official activation should be announced prior to Thursday's series opener against the Giants.

Joseph went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the Phillies' 7-2 loss at the hands of the Dodgers.

Joseph has been a bright spot for a rebuilding Phillies team this year, his .509 slugging percentage leading the team to go along with his 16 home runs. Joseph hasn't exactly had a lot of men on base during those home runs, however, with just 33 RBI over 226 at-bats. Don't expect that to change this season, but the 25-year-old first baseman's future looks bright given the power he's flashing in his rookie year.