MLB Player News

Kirilloff was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday.

Kirilloff missed several weeks with a wrist injury in mid-April and early May, and he was unable to generate much production at the plate when healthy. The 24-year-old hit just .172 with two runs, a walk and 12 strikeouts over 10 games, and he'll be sent to the minors to right the ship. Jose Miranda is starting at first base and batting sixth Saturday and should serve as the primary first baseman since Miguel Sano (knee) remains on the injured list.

Lowe will sit Saturday against Boston.

Lowe has had a poor start to the season, particularly in the power department, as he's hitting .246/.295/.307 with just a single home run through 30 games. He'll hit the bench Saturday with Andy Ibanez getting the nod at first base.

Santana isn't starting Saturday against the Rockies.

Santana returned from the injured list for Friday's series opener in Colorado and went 0-for-3 with a run, two walks and a strikeout. Ryan O'Hearn will start at first base and bat cleanup Saturday.

Diaz (illness) is starting Saturday against the Blue Jays, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Diaz was scratched from Friday's lineup due to a non-COVID illness, but he'll start at third base and lead off Saturday. He's gone 0-for-8 with an RBI, a walk and a strikeout over his last two games.

Torkelson went 2-for-3 with an RBI in Friday's win over the Orioles.

It's been a tough rookie campaign for Torkelson, as he came into Friday's contest hitless in his previous five games, and he's only batting .163 overall. Strikeouts have been an issue, as he's whiffing 32 percent of the time. Torkelson has plenty of talent, so if he can start to cut down on the strikeouts, his production could start to trend upward.

Flores isn't starting Saturday against the Cardinals, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Flores returned to the field in Friday's series opener but went hitless in four at-bats. LaMonte Wade will serve as the designated hitter while Luis Gonzalez starts in right field.

Votto (illness) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

Votto has been on the COVID-19 injured list since May 3, and the Reds have said that the first baseman will require a rehab stint prior to rejoining the major-league club. He'll join the team's Triple-A affiliate Saturday and will attempt to find some success at the plate after hitting just .122 with a double, four runs and three RBI in the big leagues this season. The team hasn't officially indicated how many rehab games Votto will require, but manager David Bell recently said that the 38-year-old could rejoin the Reds when they travel to Toronto next weekend.

Calhoun went 3-for-4 with a triple and a run scored in Friday's 7-1 loss to Boston.

Calhoun was the lone Ranger to have much success against Red Sox pitching, collecting three of the four hits the lineup mustered. He came home to score on a wild pitch following his seventh-inning triple. It was just the third extra-base hit for the 34-year-old outfielder, who is slugging .277 (.072 ISO) over 83 at-bats.

O'Hearn hit a two-run home run as a pinch hitter in Friday's 14-10 win over the Rockies.

O'Hearn provided a little extra insurance with his first homer of the year in the eighth inning. The 28-year-old has added five RBI and two runs scored through 29 plate appearances. He saw a bit more playing time when Carlos Santana (ankle) was out, but the latter is a switch hitter likely to command much of the playing time at first base going forward. O'Hearn will likely have to compete with Hunter Dozier, Emmanuel Rivera and MJ Melendez to draw starts as the designated hitter.

Gurriel went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's 6-1 win over the Nationals.

Gurriel hit a two-run shot off Josiah Gray to cap the Astros' five-run first-inning explosion. The homer was just the first of the season for Gurriel in his 28th game of the year. It hasn't been a good year thus far for the 37-year-old first baseman, who's hitting just .210/.252/.343 on the season.