MLB Player News

Voit was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

While Voit has maintained a respectable .783 OPS over 43 games since receiving the call to the majors, the Cardinals hadn't been able to find regular starts for the first baseman, who has picked up just 23 at-bats in 18 games during August. The 26-year-old will get the chance to take back an everyday role with Memphis for the next week or so before presumably rejoining the Cardinals as a September call-up.

Calhoun went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and three walks in Sunday's win over the Orioles.

The homer was Calhoun's third over his last four contests, and he now boasts a .327/.429/.538 triple-slash through 16 games in August. Although the 29-year-old hasn't been as consistent as expected this season, this hot streak has him back on the fantasy radar in most formats.

Bell went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI on Sunday in a 6-3 win over St. Louis at the Little League Classic.

Bell played the hero in front of a few thousand lucky fans in Williamsport, smacking a two-run bomb in the first inning off Cardinals starter Mike Leake before singling in a couple more runs in the third. He's been productive of late with 13 RBI over his last nine contests, giving the first baseman an impressive 72 in his sophomore season.

Bour (oblique) will resume baseball activities this week, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

He has been on the disabled list since July 25 with a strain of his right oblique, and it will be interesting to see if the Marlins push Bour back into action prior to the expansion of rosters on Sept. 1. Tomas Telis and Tyler Moore will continue to handle the bulk of the starts at first base in Bour's absence.

Joseph is out of Sunday's lineup against the Giants, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

He will sit for the second game in a row in favor of Rhys Hoskins at first base. The plan when Hoskins was originally promoted was for him to play primarily left field, but he has been so impressive (four home runs in 10 games) that the Phillies may have decided that he no longer needs to defer to Joseph at first base. It doesn't help that Joseph is in a 5-for-56 (.089) funk over his last 16 games.

Gurriel is not in the lineup Sunday against the A's.

Despite riding a modest seven-game hit streak, Gurriel will head to the bench for a day off after starting 17 of the last 18 games. Marwin Gonzalez will take over for him at first base for the contest. He should continue to get a day off every couple weeks or so in an attempt to keep him fresh for the stretch run.

Cabrera is out of Sunday's lineup against the Marlins.

He has started the last nine games, hitting .303 with two doubles and zero home runs over that stretch. Gavin Cecchini will start at second base and hit eighth.

Abreu went 4-for-5 with a solo home run and three runs scored in Saturday's 17-7 loss to the Rangers.

Abreu has an eight-game hitting streak, and it isn't a cheap streak. He's posted multiple hits in six of those games with seven of his 17 hits going for extra bases. The supporting cast around him will make it difficult for Abreu to reach 100 RBI for a fourth straight season, but he has some control over his home run total. Abreu has homered once every five games this season and needs just six homers over the final 42 games -- one every seven games -- to crack the 30-homer threshold.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and two runs scored during Saturday's win over Miami.

The rookie is now 5-for-29 (.172 batting average) with two homers, three RBI and a .579 OPS since being promoted from the minors. Smith should continue to see regular playing time and offers admirable upside after posting a .330/.386/.519 slash line with Triple-A Las Vegas this year. However, it's still probably a little early to look his way in the majority of seasonal settings.

Flores went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Saturday's win over Miami.

Flores is now up to eight homers, 15 RBI, 12 runs and a .292/.350/.667 slash line through his past 24 games. He's locked into full-time at-bats moving forward and also offers lineup flexibility because of his eligibility at multiple positions. Flores has the potential to be a game changer down the fantasy stretch drive.