MLB Player News

Mountcastle is batting cleanup as the first baseman Tuesday against Tampa Bay, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Mountcastle was activated earlier Tuesday after being out 10 days because of a concussion. He'll resume his season with a .264/.308/.477 slash line, 19 homers and 63 RBI.

Hiura was activated from the COVID-19 list at Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday.

It's been a frustrating year for Hiura, but he's at least now through his two-week COVID-related absence. There doesn't appear to be a role available for him at the major-league level at the moment, but he'll at least now be able to get back into game action in the minors.

Diaz (thumb) is starting at third base and batting cleanup Tuesday against Baltimore, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Diaz missed the previous three games as he nursed a sprained left thumb, but the infielder is ready to give it a go Tuesday. He'll enter the contest on a three-game hitting streak, during which he's gone 3-for-10 with a homer, two walks and two runs scored.

O'Hearn is not starting Tuesday against the Astros, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

O'Hearn went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Monday's win, but he will now sit for the third time in four games against left-hander Framber Valdez. Hanser Alberto will handle the DH duties and bat seventh.

Votto went 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run Monday in the Reds' 14-5 win over the Cubs.

After concluding the weekend series in Philadelphia with a pair of hitless games, Votto resumed his second-half surge in the Reds' blowout win in the series opener versus Chicago. Votto's second base knock of the night in the bottom of the seventh -- and his first of two singles in the Reds' eight-run inning -- went down as the 2,000th hit of his career and allowed him to join Hall of Famer Johnny Bench as the only players in franchise history with 2,000 hits and 300 home runs in Cincinnati uniforms. The 37-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance since the All-Star break; he leads the majors with 15 second-half home runs and is batting .339 over the past month.

The Rays designated Padlo for assignment Tuesday.

Padlo made his big-league debut earlier in the year but didn't make much of an impression in limited action, going 1-for-12 with eight strikeouts. He's also struggled mightily at the Triple-A level, slashing .194/.270/.379 with a 33.0 percent strikeout rate in 69 games for Durham. That might be enough to dissuade other teams from claiming him, though he's just 25 years old and was considered at least a fringe prospect heading into the year, so it's possible a team decides he's worth taking a chance on.

Mountcastle (concussion) was activated off the injured list Tuesday.

Mountcastle's concussion wound up costing him 10 days, but he's ready to go now just two days after resuming baseball activities. He'd been swinging a very hot bat immediately prior to his absence, homering three times while building an eight-game hitting streak. Ryan McKenna was optioned in a corresponding move.

Rizzo (illness) was cleared to participate in baseball activities on the field prior to Tuesday's doubleheader against the Red Sox, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Though Rizzo appears to have cleared all health and safety-related protocols after testing positive for COVID-19 more than a week ago, the Yankees won't yet activate him from the injured list. Instead, the Yankees will likely wait and see how he feels physically after taking batting practice and going through drills Tuesday before determining if he's ready to return for Wednesday's series finale with Boston. Whenever Rizzo is reinstated from the IL, he should quickly take back everyday duties at first base from Luke Voit.

Freeman went 3-for-4 with a walk and a three-run home run in Monday's 12-2 rout of the Marlins.

He took Paul Campbell deep in the fourth inning, part of a seven-run frame for Atlanta. Freeman has gone yard in back-to-back games, giving him 26 homers on the year, and he's slashing a strong .327/.386/.500 through 14 contests in August.

Cron went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Monday's 6-5 win over San Diego.

Cron launched a walkoff solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning off Daniel Hudson. It was his 20th long ball of the year and sixth in 13 games this month. Since the start of August, the 31-year-old slugger has gone 18-for-45 (.400) with 21 RBI and just eight strikeouts. Cron is slashing .263/.373/.508 through 100 games this season.