MLB Player News

Calhoun went 2-for-4 with a home run, walk and three runs in a 13-0 victory against the Tigers on Thursday.

It wasn't too long ago that Calhoun was hitting below .200, but he already has nine home runs and supports a .485 slugging percentage. He's also raised his average in May, going 8-for-22 (.364) to begin the month. Overall, Calhoun is batting .223 with 21 RBI, 24 runs and one steal in 130 at-bats.

Smith was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday.

Smith will provide the Mets with an extra bench bat for the time being while Steven Matz, who was sent to the injured list in a corresponding move, nurses a nerve issue in his left forearm. In 29 appearances for the Mets this season, the lefty-swinging Smith owns a .333/.459/.400 triple slash with a 6:7 BB:K in 37 plate appearances.

Voit is not in the lineup Thursday against the Mariners.

Voit will retreat to the bench for just the second time all season after starting the past 22 games, slashing .277/.378/.530 with six homers and 17 RBI over that stretch. In his place, DJ LeMahieu is starting at first base and hitting leadoff.

Olson will start at first base and bat cleanup Thursday against the Reds.

The Athletics haven't eased Olson back into action in his return from a six-week absence following his recovery from right hand surgery. He'll pick up his third start at first base in as many days after going 2-for-9 with four strikeouts over the first two games of the series with Cincinnati. Olson has slotted in as the Athletics' No. 4 hitter in all of those contests but could drop a spot once Khris Davis (hip) returns to the lineup.

Bour is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers.

The Angels are opposing a left-handed starter (Ryan Carpenter) for the third straight day, relegating Bour to the bench once again. It's clear at this point that Shohei Ohtani and Albert Pujols will serve as the team's designated hitter and first baseman, respectively, versus left-handed pitching, but it's less certain if Bour will find himself in the large side of a platoon with Pujols now that Ohtani is back from the 10-day injured list. Bour has historically crushed right-handed pitching, but he's hitting just .153/.238/.306 (50 wRC+) in those matchups in 2019. Pujols, meanwhile, sports a .197/.297/.342 (77 wRC+) line versus righties.

Votto is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics.

Votto will get a rest for the matinee game after playing all 13 innings of Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Athletics. During that contest, Votto went 0-for-5 with a walk, dropping his season line to .210/.324/.339. While Votto is still drawing free passes at an elite clip (13.3 percent), his power has tailed off even further after he managed a lowly .419 slugging percentage in 2018. Votto's decline in that area has been especially troubling with the league-wide home-run rate up by a considerable margin this season.

Cron went 4-for-5 with a two-run home run Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

Cron took Trent Thornton deep in the third inning for his seventh home run of the season. He also collected three other hits on the day -- all singles -- for his first multi-hit game in 10 contests. Cron has already blasted seven home runs this season and batted predominantly fifth in the Twins' order, putting him in a strong position to drive in runs.

Abreu went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Indians.

Abreu gave the White Sox a lead with his third-inning homer, the fourth in the last eight games. He's knocked in 24 runs over the last 17 games and leads the AL with 34 RBI.

Bell went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 9-6 loss to the Rangers on Wednesday.

The Pirates' first baseman continued his strong start and did it in impressive fashion Wednesday afternoon, absolutely crushing a bomb into the Allegheny River. Bell already has nine homers, which is only three shy of his total from last season. He is hitting .295 with 23 extra-base hits, 27 RBI and 22 runs in 122 at-bats.

Lowe was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe's first stint in the majors was short-lived, as the 23-year-old wound up making just nine appearances for the Rays, slashing .257/.289/.314 with a pair of doubles and 2:10 BB:K in those contests. This move frees up a spot on the roster for Austin Meadows (finger), who is expected to be activated from the injured list ahead of Friday's series opener against the Yankees. The 23-year-old Lowe figures to rejoin the Rays again at some point later in the season, but he'll toil away in the minors for now.