MLB Player News

Reds manager David Bell said Thursday that there is no set date for Votto (shoulder/biceps) to resume a rehab assignment, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Votto was pulled off his rehab stint Saturday after batting just .184/.289/.316 with 21 strikeouts through 45 plate appearances at Triple-A Louisville. He's currently working out in Cincinnati as he tries to recapture some semblance of timing at the dish. The 39-year-old underwent surgery last August to repair tears in his left rotator cuff and left biceps muscle.

Steer (knee/quadriceps) is back in the lineup Thursday against the Pirates.

Steer missed three games because of right knee and quad soreness, but he's all set to return to action as the Reds' starting third baseman and No. 3 hitter Thursday night versus the Pirates and right-hander Roansy Contreras. The 25-year-old has slashed .320/.424/.520 with two homers and one steal in 15 games this season.

Mervis is slashing .267/.426/.533 with three home runs and more walks (13) than strikeouts (11) through 61 plate appearances with Triple-A Iowa.

Mervis, who just turned 25, had a 152 wRC+ in 57 games at Triple-A last year, so it would have been disappointing if he'd not gotten off to a great start in 2023. Nonetheless, his 21.3 percent walk rate is pretty eye opening -- he had a 10.4 percent walk rate in 240 plate appearances for Iowa last year. Trey Mancini (-0.7 fWAR), Eric Hosmer (-0.1 fWAR) and Edwin Rios (-0.2 fWAR) have all been below replacement-level players so far this season, so Mervis could get a look sooner than later.

Steer (knee/quadricep) said he ran sprints at 100 percent speed prior to Wednesday's 8-0 loss to the Rays, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Steer went unused for the third game in a row due to the sore right knee, but his ability to run at full speed without incident suggests he should be back in the lineup before long. For his part, Steer said he expects to return to the starting nine for Thursday's game in Pittsburgh, but manager David Bell hasn't confirmed as much.

Ellis signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Sunday.

The 27-year-old infielder will be moving on to the third organization of his career after stints with Arizona and Seattle. Ellis saw 35 games' worth of big-league action between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, slashing .141/.270/.212 over 100 career plate appearances in the majors. Expect him to report to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Cron is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Cron looks to be getting some maintenance for the day game after a night game after he manned first base in each of Colorado's last eight contests. Mike Moustakas will spell Cron at the position and bat fifth in the series finale.

Tellez is out of the lineup Wednesday versus the Mariners.

The lefty-hitting Tellez will take a seat while Seattle brings southpaw Marco Gonzales to the hill. Luke Voit will hit sixth and play first base in the series finale.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and two total runs scored in Tuesday's 8-7 loss to the Diamondbacks.

This was Goldschmidt's first multi-hit outing in his last five games. He took Drey Jameson deep for a solo shot in the first inning. The power isn't up to last year's standard for Goldschmidt, but he's slashing a strong .328/.449/.516 with two homers, nine RBI, 12 runs scored, six doubles and two stolen bases over 17 contests.

Montero is out of the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Pirates.

Montero will sit for a second consecutive contest after making two errors in the field in Monday's loss to the Pirates. Ryan McMahon will take care of third base duties, while Alan Trejo covers second base.

Olson went 1-for-4 with a walk, a three-run home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's win over the Padres.

The first baseman capped the scoring on the night by taking Reiss Knehr deep in the ninth inning. It's Olson's sixth homer of the year, helping to fuel a .296/.405/.648 slash line that also comes with 15 runs and 20 RBI in 18 games. It's there's a cause for concern with the 29-year-old's hot start it's his career-worst 34.5 percent strikeout rate, but it's hard to argue with the results when he is making contact.